“Healthy” 11-year-old went to bed as normal but never woke up after suffering cardiac arrest in her sleep

An 11-year-old girl who died in her sleep had been a “healthy” child and showed no signs of illness. The parents of Matilda Pritchard said their little girl went to bed “normally” - but never woke up.

On the morning of April 3, 2024, Steve Pritchard and his wife, Anna Pritchard, both 43, discovered Matilda had suffered a cardiac arrest in her sleep and, despite the best efforts of paramedics, she was pronounced dead on arrival at Leeds General Infirmary. 

Matilda’s mum and dad, along with her 14-year-old sister, Olivia, now want to honour her ‘last wish’ - ‘ridding the world of litter’.

Steve, a company director, from Pudsey, Leeds, said: “As any child would do, Matilda went up to bed, and just never woke up. It’s been catastrophically terrible - but I’m hoping we can start the process of our little girl’s dream, of a world without litter.”

Describing his daughter as "an animal lover - who was passionate about the environment", he said she loved litter-picking around Pudsey Park, and was given a ‘Blue Peter Green Badge’ in early 2024 for showing she cared about nature, the environment and sustainability. 

“The news was always difficult for Matilda,” Steve said. “Especially with global events, like bushfires. Litter-picking was the only actionable thing she could do, being an 11-year-old. 

“A few years back, she joined the litter-free Pudsey group. She was proud - she had her litter picker, purple bin bags, and we’d go litter-picking together. She said to me one day: ‘Daddy - I dream of a world without litter’. All I could say was: ‘One day, sweetheart.”

On the evening of April 2, 2024, Matilda went up to bed, as normal. She didn’t show any signs of distress - yet the following morning, Steve and Anna discovered she’d had a cardiac arrest in her sleep. They called an ambulance immediately - paramedics arrived in two ambulances within minutes to attempt resuscitation, but they couldn’t save her.

Steve said: “Despite the best efforts of Leeds General Infirmary, Matilda passed away of an undiagnosed heart condition. During the few weeks before the post-mortem, no-one knew what it was. We had comfort from other parents in Facebook groups, who had each lost their children unexpectedly.”

After Matilda’s death, a pathologist confirmed she had suffered from arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) - a genetic defect of part of the heart muscles. Steve, Anna and Olivia have since had several tests to rule out the condition in themselves - including an MRI and genetic blood test. 

“We were immediately worried about Olivia,” Steve said. “She’s 14, and symptoms usually start around 13. But everything’s come back completely clean - we’re all fine.”

In order to honour Matilda’s “last wish” - Steve has set up a JustGiving page to raise funds for environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy. The money raised will fund the charity’s Eco Schools - which aim to integrate environmental learning into the national curriculum.

Steve and Anna want to raise enough money to keep the programme going for five years - to mark the years of secondary school Matilda had ahead. “It’s a just cause - one we felt was right,” Steve said. “We smashed our initial target within two weeks.

“The initial budget raised would go into one year of supporting the programme - I thought, ‘let’s up our budget to five years - one for each year Matilda would’ve been at secondary school’. It’s been an avenue for our grief - it’s a way of expanding her legacy. 

“This has been a distraction for me - but there’s still an empty space, and after this I want to focus on taking care of the family.”

The fundraiser has now reached £28,154 in donations. Pascale Harvie, President and General Manager of JustGiving, said: "It's heart-breaking to hear Matilda’s story. No family should ever face the devastation of losing a child. 

“The work that Matilda’s loved ones continue to do in her honour is beyond incredible and we wish them the very best in their fundraising journey.”