Family’s tribute to ‘miracle’ girl, 8, who died in ‘freak accident’ at school

An eight-year-old girl who overcame heart surgery and pneumonia has died after a ‘freak accident’ at her primary school.

Olivia-Grace Huxter died after the incident at Penrhys Primary School in Ferndale in the Rhondda Valley, Wales, on Wednesday.

The nature of the incident has not been made public, but South Wales Police said it is investigating the death.

‘There are no suspicious circumstances and an investigation on behalf of the coroner is now underway,’ a spokesperson for the force said.

Olivia-Grace’s family have now paid tribute to her ‘bravery and strength’. The young girl overcame open heart surgery at six months old and pneumonia at five years old.

Her mum Melanie said: ‘My beautiful, beautiful baby girl, I can’t eat, I can’t sleep without you.

‘I’m so grateful I was able to hold you and sing you to sleep one last time with your favourite bedtime song.

‘You were wanted, admired and absolutely adored by everyone lucky enough to have known you.

‘I don’t know what life will look like now. I love you to the moon and back… Twice.’

Olivia-Grace’s favourite time of year was Christmas, and she would ask for her mum to sing ‘Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer’ to her before bed every night, all year round.

Penrhys Primary School was closed to all pupils following the incident, but reopened on Friday.

Olivia-Grace’s family said she was ‘adored and loved as if she was their own’ by the school, adding they ‘can’t thank them enough for the love and compassion that they always showed her’.

They also thanked police, paramedics and hospital staff who ‘took care of our little girl and gave us the opportunity to say goodbye’.

In a statement to the Daily Mail, her family said: ‘Olivia-Grace was our perfect miracle baby. Her superpower was her incredible ability to make anyone feel better, whether it was family, a friend or simply a stranger in the street or down an aisle at Asda.

‘She loved to dance and sing. One day to country and western, the next day to Stormzy.

‘She overcame major open heart surgery and pneumonia even though the doctors thought she might not battle through it.

‘She was determined, brave and would put the strongest man to shame. She was a very gentle soul but had the ability to flip a dining room table at the slightest inconvenience. 

‘She had everyone wrapped around her little finger and she knew it. You couldn’t not smile around her.

‘If you were having a bad day, Olivia-Grace was the one you needed to see, she was the magic that could fix anything. She was the centre of our family.’

A fundraising page to help pay for Olivia-Grace’s funeral has been set up, and has already raised nearly £10,000.

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