Just days after doctors assured a mother that her toddler was in perfect health, the young girl tragically suffered a fatal cardiac arrest caused by a common virus.

Little Connie Malaney, hailing from Southampton, was only 18 months old when she succumbed to her condition. Her mother, Jacqueline Malaney, had repeatedly expressed concerns to medical professionals about her daughter’s health.

At 30, Ms. Malaney frequently brought her daughter to medical appointments due to persistent breathing difficulties. However, each time she was reassured that nothing serious was amiss.

Medical staff attributed Connie’s breathing issues to laryngomalacia, a prevalent condition among babies where soft tissue from the vocal cords collapses inward, leading to wheezing. Doctors insisted it was not a serious issue.

Things took a turn in July 2024 when Connie was rushed to the hospital after her GP noticed her oxygen levels were unusually low. She was diagnosed with Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and prescribed a three-day course of antibiotics before being sent home.

Unfortunately, Connie’s health did not improve the following day, prompting her admission to the hospital where her condition rapidly worsened.

She then suffered a fatal cardiac arrest, passing away only three weeks later.

Now, Ms Malaney says she has been left frustrated, without answers and feeling as though doctors ‘wouldn’t listen’ to her concerns.

Connie Malaney (pictured) was only 18 months old when she passed away from a brain injury due to cardiac arrest

Connie’s mother, Jaqueline Malaney (pictured), was told time and time again there was ‘nothing wrong’ with her infant daughter despite showing symptoms of laboured breathing

Ms Malaney said: ‘Connie was always the one out of my three children to pick up a bug.

‘She was ill from birth, but she never got diagnosed with anything, my concerns were never taken seriously.

‘She would get ill once a month, and when she was ill she would just lie there looking so limp and poorly.

‘I was always taking her to the hospital because she sounded like she was struggling to breathe, but doctors would tell me her oxygen levels were absolutely fine.

‘I knew there was something more going on, it was so frustrating.’

Recalling the weeks before Connie’s death, Ms Malaney said her GP recommended she take Connie to hospital after finding her oxygen levels to be below normal. 

She said: ‘I took her to the doctors – she was no more ill than the other times – but my GP said they needed to take her to a hospital, because her oxygen levels were so low, they were going down to the 80s.’ 

Connie was then rushed to hospital in an ambulance – where doctors diagnosed her with RSV.

Connie (pictured) was described by her mother as the ‘loveliest and happiest little girl’

Jaqueline (pictured) said she’s been left frustrated, without answers and feeling as though doctors ‘wouldn’t listen’ to her following the death of her daughter

RSV is a common respiratory virus that infects the nose, throat and lungs, and causes symptoms like wheezing and fever.

In babies, RSV can trigger a type of chest infection called bronchiolitis, which causes breathing problems and may need to be treated in hospital. RSV can also cause pneumonia in infants and older adults.

Almost all children get an RSV infection before they’re two years old. It can be serious for infants and those over 65, and in rare cases, can be fatal. 

Connie was sent home with a three day course of antibiotics following the diagnosis.

Ms Malaney said: ‘They said she was fine. I wasn’t happy with this, and questioned it, but they still sent her home.’

Her suspicions, unfortunately, proved to be correct. 

After 12 hours, Connie was not getting any better so Ms Malaney rang the hospital and asked if Connie could come back in for assessment. 

She said: ‘I rang 999 and she was taken back into hospital.

‘She wasn’t eating, she wasn’t drinking, I was fighting with doctors to make them see how poorly she was but no one was listening to me, it was awful.

‘On her third day in hospital, she was blue and freezing cold, I knew she wasn’t OK, but a nurse told me she was absolutely fine.

‘I got the nurse to get a doctor, and then within seconds she was having a cardiac arrest.’

Connie passed away in August 2024. Her death report stated she died from significant brain injury due to hypoxic cardiac arrest, which is where the heart stops due to lack of oxygen, caused by RSV.

While in hospital, she was also being given nebulisers, devices that turn liquid medicine into a fine mist so it can be breathed directly into the lungs.

Doctors added the likely reason for Connie’s cardiac arrest was due to a blockage of mucus, caused by the nebulisers.

Now, Ms Malaney has been left questioning how and why her daughter was not properly treated. 

She said: ‘How could she be in hospital and them not have a clue?

‘On her death report it was confirmed she had low blood pressure readings, so they should have seen a cardiac arrest was brewing.

‘I just don’t have any answers, it’s just horrible, you wouldn’t think something like this would happen in this day and age.

‘I urge mothers to trust your guts, a mother’s instinct is always right, just because you have a doctor stood next to you doesn’t mean they’re right at all.

‘She was the loveliest and happiest little girl, we all miss her so much.’

Dr Natalie Borman, acting chief medical officer at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust said: ‘Following Connie’s death, we followed our usual process of carrying out a thorough review to identify any areas of improvement. 

‘This included reinforcing with our teams the importance of consistently recording concerns raised by family members.

‘As a trust, we display information to support family members with raising concerns about a patient’s care or wellbeing.

‘We are committed to listening and learning from our patients and their loved ones to continue improving the way we provide safe, compassionate care.’