'Her beautiful face will forever be etched in our memories'

“You fought until the very end, but it’s time to let you rest. We love you to the moon and back, always and forever our little angel.”

Clareese Packer

3 min read

July 9, 2024 - 11:11AM

How to deal with grief and the loss of a loved one

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A family has been left devastated after a young girl died a little more than a week after a routine operation.

Aliyah Yugovich, three, underwent a tonsillectomy at St John of God on Friday June 28 and was discharged the following day.

However the toddler was admitted to Perth Children’s Hospital (PCH) three days later on July 1 where she was diagnosed with Influenza A after she ran a fever and had flu-like symptoms.

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She was discharged on Wednesday July 3 but suffered a medical episode the following morning where she reportedly coughed and vomited blood.

An ambulance was called and paramedics performed CPR before rushing her to Midland hospital.

Aliyah was then transferred to PCH within hours where she was placed in a coma and put on life support in the Paediatric Critical Care Unit.

Three-year-old Aliyah Yugovich died just over a week after a tonsillectomy. Picture: Facebook

"Life will never be the same without you"

Tragically, brain scans and an EEG on Saturday revealed there was no brain activity, and Aliyah died on July 7.

Aliyah’s mother, Jessica Yugovich, described her daughter as “too perfect for this world” in an emotional post on Facebook.

“Life will never be the same without you,” she wrote.

“You are the most beautiful girl to ever step foot on this earth. None of this is fair, it was never meant to be with way, but I hope you know how proud we are of you.

“You fought until the very end, but it’s time to let you rest. We love you to the moon and back, always and forever our little angel.”

Aliyah Yugovich’s mother described her daughter as “too perfect for this world”. Picture: The West Australian

"Her beautiful face will be forever etched in our memories"

More than $60,000 has been raised for the family, as both her mother and father, Josh, have no paid personal leave and another one-year-old to care for.

Ms Yugovich is a small-business owner, while Mr Yugovich is a contractor.

The fundraiser described Aliyah as a “beautiful”, “full of life” toddler that “lit up the room”.

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“Her beautiful face will forever be etched in our memories,” the fundraiser read.

“We can’t change what has happened or take away their pain, but we want to help where we can during this devastating time.

“Anything you can contribute, big or small, it all helps. It means it is more time they will have to grieve without rushing back to work.”

The girl was rushed to hospital on Thursday July 4. Picture: The West Australian

"All she ever wanted to do was make everybody else happy"

Ms Yugovich told the West Australian her daughter “left a mark on every single person she ever met”.

“Even if you only met her for 30 seconds, you would never forget ever,” she said.

“She’s just the most beautiful little girl — the brightest, funniest — even at three, all she ever wanted to do was make everybody else happy.”

Child and Adolescent Health Service acting chief executive Simon Wood said the death has been reported to the Coroner, according to the West Australian.

“The Child and Adolescent Health Service offers the family our sincere condolences in relation to the passing of their child and extends our support in this time of grief,” he said.

“The death has been reported to the Coroner, as is the usual process, and the cause of death will be determined following coronial post-mortem examination and investigation.”