A mother is urging parents to trust their instincts and push for medical tests after her 16-month-old daughter died from pneumonia, a condition she had raised concerns about for three months.
A Mother's Unimaginable Discovery
Lisa Fifield, 36, faced every parent's worst nightmare on February 22, 2025, when she discovered her daughter, Ophelia Lily Ada Fifield, unresponsive in her cot. The family, who split their time between Essex and Spain, performed CPR before an ambulance rushed them to hospital, but Ophelia tragically died around 9am that same day.
Lisa described her daughter, born on October 5, 2023, as an "old soul" - a content, trusting baby who loved laughter, company, and was "obsessed with bananas." Her world shattered after Ophelia started nursery following her first birthday and began picking up a relentless series of illnesses.
Three Months of Concerns Dismissed
In the three months before her death, Ophelia battled a catalogue of infections, including chest, eye, and ear problems, hand, foot and mouth disease, and numerous viruses. Lisa repeatedly took her to GPs and A&E, concerned about a sporadic, mucusy cough. On one occasion, after Ophelia coughed up a small amount of blood, they went to A&E.
"They said she was playing and happy so she must be fine," Lisa recalled. "They checked her over but nobody gave her a chest x-ray or did any further testing. Medical professionals repeatedly assured her that Ophelia's chest sounded 'good.'
The final 24 hours were marked by worrying signs: vomiting, a fever, unusual fatigue, a strange noise from her chest, and a desire not to be separated from her mother. After a restless night of monitoring, Lisa's husband, Erol, 46, found Ophelia non-responsive in her cot between 6am and 7am.
A Fight for Awareness in Grief's Aftermath
Initially, Ophelia's death was categorised as SUDC (Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood). However, Lisa requested a post-mortem, which revealed the toddler had been suffering from pneumonia.
"The thought that she could and should still be here fills me with anger," Lisa said. "Now I know I must fight for the protection of other babies and families, so no one else lives this nightmare."
Devastated, Lisa could not remain in the Essex home where the tragedy occurred and has since relocated to Ibiza. She has channelled her grief into action, setting up a TikTok account, @mybabyinheaven, to share her story and connect with other grieving parents.
Her key advice to other parents is emphatic: "Trust your intuition, research symptoms yourself... don't take no for an answer and demand for tests to be done." She highlights that pneumonia symptoms in babies can be subtle and escalate rapidly, noting Ophelia deteriorated within a one-to-two-hour window.
In memory of her daughter, Lisa is establishing The Ophelia's Wings Foundation, aiming to secure a charity number to support families through child loss. The first initiative is a women's grief retreat in Ibiza in April.
The NHS lists pneumonia symptoms as a cough (sometimes with coloured mucus), shortness of breath, high temperature, chest pain, loss of appetite, and wheezing. In babies, signs can include grunting and rapid deterioration.
