‘Brilliant’ girl, 12, died at school as ‘frantic’ final moments revealed by heartbroken teachers
HEARTBROKEN teachers have revealed the “frantic” final moments of a “brilliant” 12-year-old girl who died at school.
Pearl Unu-Arubi went into cardiac arrest after suffering a severe asthma attack at Rochester Grammar School on March 20 last year.
The Kent youngster died 10 days later at King’s College Hospital in south London.
A four-day inquest into Pearl’s death heard how school staff “tried their best” to help her before she collapsed.
Pearl and her friends had gone to the school office asking for a spare inhaler.
Admin assistant Stephanie Sherwood told the inquest that she looked for the inhaler in a medicine cabinet – but could not find it.
Ms Sherwood then passed the school’s spare pump through the hatch to the girls.
She said: “They came back over and were quite frantic and getting worried about Pearl.
“I did not delay at all and made my way through the office to where she was sitting.
“I could tell she was getting quite panicked. I tried to calm her down and reassure her.
“She was breathless. I thought she was getting into a panic at the time which could be escalating it.
“But I soon realised she was struggling more than she had done in the past.”
Trained first-aider Ms Sherwood added: “I tried to calm her down and get her to use her inhaler.
“She started to get more panicked and wanted to lie down. I was not comfortable and saw this was worse than it had been before.
“I knocked on our lead first-aider Caroline Winder’s door to get her to assist.
“This all happened very quickly but at this point, we did not realise the emergency that it was.
“We thought everything was going to be OK. Pearl became quite quiet and slumped into the chair.
“At this point, I thought it was not right and I dialled for the ambulance.”
Ms Sherwood went to fetch the school’s defibrillator while Ms Winder began CPR with guidance from the ambulance operator.
By the time Ms Sherwood returned, paramedics had arrived at the office.
School principal Clare Brinklow said she also went to check on Pearl as soon as she knew what was happening.
Family tribute to 'extraordinary child'
In a statement read out to the court, they said: “Pearl’s vibrant personality illuminated every room.
“The sky was the limit, she was determined and strong-minded.
“She was our ray of sunshine, she was our everything. Pearl’s character shone brightly.”
After the inquest concluded, they said: “Pearl embodied the essence of an extraordinary child.
“She graced our lives with her infectious smile and unwavering positivity.
“Her innate kindness, warmth, and boundless spirit left an indelible impression on all who were fortunate enough to know her.
“We, along with our family members and friends, cherish fond memories of Pearl’s insightful thoughts and profound wisdom.
“She graciously shared them as we navigated life’s challenges together.
“Although Pearl is no longer here to convey her experiences, we have faith that her voice has been represented through our legal counsel,
“We commend the thorough investigation conducted by the coroner’s court in addressing our queries.
“While we continue to navigate life without our beloved daughter, we find solace in cherishing the cherished memories we shared.
“With the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, we take comfort in the belief that we will be reunited with Pearl in eternity, where death holds no sway.”
Ms Brinklow, 43, has been trained in CPR since she was 19 and began giving Pearl mouth-to-mouth.
She told the inquest: “I do not know what we could have done any differently.
“Nobody froze, everybody reacted, and we got her the inhaler as quickly as possible.
“CPR was started immediately and an ambulance was called. I do not think we could have done anything differently.”
But lawyer for Pearl’s family Gabrielle Wattas questioned whether staff should have called an ambulance earlier.
Ms Sherwood said that staff called an ambulance as soon as they realised they could not help Pearl.
She said: “Between reaching Pearl and calling the ambulance was about three minutes.
“She deteriorated very quickly. We would never expect to be in that position, it was very frantic.
“There was lots going on. We tried to do our best in the situation we were in.”
Ms Winder said she became concerned when Pearl became quiet and slumped in her chair.
She said: “It was at that point I was really concerned and Ms Sherwood called the ambulance.
We called them as quickly as we could.”
‘TRAGIC PASSING’
CCTV footage showed Pearl entering the school building on her way to the office at 1.52pm.
An ambulance was called at 1.57pm, with paramedics arriving at 2.04pm.
The ambulance crew took over CPR, administered drugs and ventilated Pearl.
Expert witness Professor Charles Deakin said the school’s response to Pearl’s collapse had been reasonable.
He told the inquest: “I think the sequence of events and speed is reasonable.
“Pearl was very poorly, so it was quite reasonable to prioritise getting her to use the inhaler.”
The independent expert added: “The inhaler at that stage was the priority.”
Prof Deakin told the inquest that it would not have made a difference if the ambulance had been called a minute earlier.
Pearl was rushed to King’s College Hospital by ambulance where she was given further treatment.
But the youngster sadly died ten days later on March 30, the inquest heard.
Assistant coroner Catherine Wood ruled that Pearl died from natural causes.
Her cause of death was given as a severe brain injury caused by out-of-hospital cardiac arrest as a consequence of a severe asthma attack.
In a statement, Ms Brinklow said: “We were deeply saddened by the tragic passing of Pearl.
“She was a shining light in our school community and met everyone with great kindness and a smile.
“The coroner has concluded, having heard expert testimony, that we acted appropriately in a tragic set of circumstances and did all we could when Pearl fell ill.
“But this is no comfort to us and we know that will also be the case for Pearl’s family and friends.
“We have lost a wonderful student, and they have lost a much-loved family member and friend.
“Our thoughts and condolences remain with her loved ones, and we ask that everyone continues to respect their privacy.”