Amber Milnes, 5 underwent a surgery at the hospital to treat sleep apnea.
But what was meant to be a routine procedure turned into a nightmare for her parents, Sereta and Lewis Milnes.
Amber’s family described the five-year-old as their “magical little princess.” She had her whole life ahead of her — but it was tragically cut short in April 2023.
The little girl from Cornwall, UK, died just four days after a routine tonsillectomy. A recent inquest has now revealed the heartbreaking truth of what happened to Amber.
Amber Milnes underwent the surgery at Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro on April 5, 2023, to treat sleep apnea. The family had expected Amber to stay overnight in the hospital due to her rare condition, cyclical vomiting syndrome (CVS), which causes violent vomiting spells lasting hours.
Despite their repeated warnings to medical staff, Amber was discharged just hours after the operation.
By the early hours of April 6, Amber began vomiting and was readmitted that evening after about 20 episodes. While she received IV medication and treatment for a chest infection, a failed IV line meant she went 14 hours without fluids, pain relief, antibiotics, or anti-nausea medication.
Tragically, Amber suffered a catastrophic hemorrhage in the early hours of April 9 and was pronounced dead at 4:37 a.m.
A post-mortem revealed the cause: a massive hemorrhage caused by a surgical-site infection that eroded an artery in her throat. Doctors confirmed the infection, not the surgery itself, led to her death.
Heartbreaking tribute from her parents
In a statement, Amber’s parents described her as “the happiest little girl” who “lit up our home with her singing, her dancing, her laughter and her heart of gold.”
“Bam, as everyone would call her, was the girliest of girls who loved doing girly stuff, like playing with princesses and babies. She absolutely loved music and singing,” her parents shared.
Sereta Milnes urged other parents to trust their instincts.
“If surgery is needed, then do go ahead, but if you are worried, don’t be afraid to speak up or ask questions, and work with the doctors. Remember that no operation is risk-free, however common it may be,” she said.
Her mother also described her shock at Amber’s discharge.
“I was surprised, but accepted what the doctors advised, which I now feel was the biggest mistake in my whole life. We still feel her condition wasn’t understood enough,” she said.
Inquest findings
In November 2025, Cornwall Senior Coroner Andrew Cox concluded that Amber’s death was due to a “known but very rare complication: catastrophic hemorrhage caused by infection after a surgical procedure, adenotonsillectomy.”
He noted that while the procedure itself was unremarkable, there were unanswered questions about whether her rare condition was fully understood by the surgical team.
The surgeon who performed the operation testified that the surgery lasted just 38 minutes and showed no signs of infection at the time. He described Amber’s case as “unique” and said he had never seen a death result from a tonsillectomy.
The coroner highlighted that neither the surgeon nor the anesthetist were fully aware of Amber’s cyclical vomiting syndrome, which could have affected decisions around her discharge or earlier readmission.
Family’s plea to other parents
In the wake of their daughter’s death, Amber’s parents have shared a heartfelt message to other families: “Parents everywhere will understand and we would urge other families to remember Amber when their children face surgery. Trust your instincts and speak up if something doesn’t feel right.”
“As her parents, we will always feel that Amber should still be with us. She should have been allowed to stay in hospital after the surgery as we asked, even if it was just to be on the safe side, or at least she should have been admitted straight away when we called in first thing the next morning to say she had been vomiting.
“We still feel her condition wasn’t understood enough. We understand her death in this way was incredibly rare, but it never crossed our minds that she might die from having her tonsils out.”
Solicitor Mike Bird, representing the family, said: “No one expects their five-year-old child to die after having their tonsils out. The coroner’s investigation was thorough, but there are still questions about whether her death could have been prevented.”
In a statement, Dr. Merry Kane, chief medical officer at Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, expressed condolences: “Our hearts go out to Amber’s family; the death of a child is utterly devastating.”
Amber Milnes’ death is a tragic reminder of how even routine procedures carry risks — and of the importance of parents advocating for their children. Her family hopes her story will encourage others to speak up if something doesn’t feel right.