Octavia Hughes, a 38-year-old mother and former stylist on The Voice, died from a bleed on the brain after being sent home three times in the days before her death. Doctors reportedly told her she had a migraine. She leaves behind her eight-year-old daughter Dolly.
Three visits to doctors before death
Octavia, known as ‘Tav’, first sought medical help on September 14 when she went to her GP and was reportedly told she was having a migraine and sent home. The next day, she called 111 and attended A&E at the QEQM Hospital in Margate, where she was told the same thing, according to friend Paula Chappell.
When her condition did not improve, she returned to A&E on September 17 but was again reportedly sent home. The following morning, Octavia woke up with stroke symptoms and was rushed to Kent and Canterbury Hospital, where she had emergency surgery. Her stroke was caused by a torn artery in her neck.
Brain bleed and organ donation
Octavia then suffered a bleed on the brain and was transferred to King’s College Hospital in London, where her family was told there was nothing they could do. Her organs were donated while she stayed on life support, and she died on September 23.
Paula said: “I think that's what’s so horrific is that we should have never got to the point we did on Friday. By the time we got to that point, we were just on a downward spiral. She was never a complainer. She wasn't one of those people who moan about not being well. She'd be a trooper.”
Fundraiser for daughter Dolly
Paula set up a fundraiser for Dolly, which has already raised more than £26,000. “I can’t believe it,” she said. “It shows us how much she was loved by people who didn't even know her.”
Octavia studied fashion promotion at Southampton Solent University. Her first job after university was as a stylist’s assistant on The Voice UK, before working as a freelance TV stylist. She also ran a pub with her brother, styled e-commerce shoots, and worked as an art director for major UK brands. She moved to Whitstable 10 years ago and had her daughter.
In 2019 she set up We Sell By the Sea, followed by Prelove and Reloved. This year, she opened No.86 as a home for her second-hand business in Whitstable High Street. Paula said: “She's the friend who knew everything about me. She's the one who knows my secrets, the one I would message a hundred times a day. She changed my life. She was loved by everyone. It’s left a hole in all of our hearts, and we will miss her forever.”
A spokesperson for East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust, which runs the QEQM and Kent and Canterbury Hospital, said: “We offer our sincere condolences to Octavia’s family. We will do all we can to answer their questions and will also work with the coroner to understand the circumstances of Octavia’s death.”
