Amber Milnes, a joyful five-year-old from Cornwall, underwent what was supposed to be a routine tonsillectomy to treat sleep apnea. Her parents, Sereta and Lewis, warned doctors that Amber had a rare condition called cyclical vomiting syndrome (CVS) and expected she would stay overnight. Instead, she was discharged only hours after surgery on April 5, 2023. By early the next morning, Amber began severely vomiting and was readmitted that evening after around 20 episodes.
Though doctors treated her dehydration and a chest infection with IV medication, a failed IV line left her without fluids, antibiotics, or anti-nausea medication for 14 crucial hours. In the early hours of April 9, Amber suffered a catastrophic hemorrhage and died at 4:37 a.m. A post-mortem revealed that a surgical-site infection had eroded an artery in her throat. The inquest confirmed that the infection — a known but extremely rare complication — caused her death, not the surgery itself.
Amber’s parents described her as their “magical little princess” who filled their home with singing, dancing, and laughter. Her mother urged other parents to trust their instincts and ask questions when their children undergo medical procedures, saying she now regrets accepting Amber’s early discharge.
The coroner noted that neither the surgeon nor anesthetist were fully aware of Amber’s CVS, raising concerns about whether it influenced her discharge and care. Amber’s parents hope their daughter’s story will remind others to speak up when something feels wrong, emphasizing, “No one expects their five-year-old to die after having their tonsils out.”