A week before Christmas, Rebecca Taylor went to pick up her daughter, Scarlet, early from school after the nurse called saying she had a fever. Thinking it was a common cold, the mum-of-three took her home “did the Tylenol thing” and spent the day relaxing and watching movies.
However, two days later, Scarlet’s breathing became strained and Rebecca noticed her five-year-old “was foggy”. Knowing that something wasn’t right, the mum-of-three took her little girl to the hospital and it was there that doctors told her Scarlet had pneumonia and her lungs were filling with fluid.
Unfortunately, as the youngster’s condition deteriorated, the doctor told Rebecca to “hold her hand and just stand next to her”. The little girl died four hours after being admitted to hospital.
Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office said Scarlet died from the H3N2 strain of flu. Talking about her daughter’s tragic death, Rebecca said: "I feel like, you know, if I would have known more about this flu maybe I would have taken her to the doctors on Wednesday instead of Friday. Maybe she'd still be here - and, forever, that's something I'll always have to live with for the rest of my life."
The inspirational mum now wants other parents to be aware of how dangerous the flu can be, saying: “I've tried to find the positive in all of this - which is really hard - but what I've taken from it is I hope other moms can take caution."
