Atherton family learn the cause of death of Mellodie and Athena

Mellodie-Ocean Jarman passed away in the early hours of Sunday, February 2, when she was just seven weeks away from giving birth to her daughter, Athena-Pearl.

Although Mellodie had no prior health issues, the 19-year-old began to feel dizzy and collapsed at Hagfold station on Friday, January 31, while on the way to a 4D baby scan at 'Scan and Beyond' in Wigan.

Mellodie also claimed that she saw her granddad, who has passed more than six years earlier, but after she and her partner Daniel Derbyshire were taken to Bolton Hospital, the 19-year-old was prescribed iron liquid and antibiotics after being informed that her iron levels were low.

Staff at Bolton Hospital are reported to have contacted the family to arrange more blood samples the following week, but tragically, the 19-year-old never made this appointment due to a catastrophic episode she suffered on Saturday evening.

Mum and daughter die just hours apart

Mellodie was described as being a 'queen' (Image: Daniel Darbyshire) Although Mellodie felt unwell and lethargic for most of the day, the family attributed this to low iron until she shouted her mum Justine in a "panic" late on Saturday evening.

With similar symptoms to her episode the day before, Mellodie had collapsed and began to complain that she couldn't see or breathe, and her mum reports that her daughter's eyes began to roll to the back of her head.

With an ambulance called to rush her from her Atherton home to Bolton Hospital, doctors tried their best to keep Mellodie and her daughter alive, and an emergency C-Section was carried out in the early hours of Sunday morning.

While Mellodie and Daniel's daughter, Athena-Pearl, was born at 0.32am on Sunday, February 2, the young mum was tragically pronounced dead a little more than an hour later, at 1.52am.

Mellodie and Daniel couldn't wait to raise their daughter together (Image: Daniel Darbyshire) In an understandable a state of shock, Daniel and Mellodie's family went back and forth from Mellodie's room to the neonatal unit at Bolton Hospital, and spent time with a priest to baptise and pray for baby Athena.

However, later that day, the family were given the gut-wrenching news that Athena was also deteriorating and not likely to survive.

Still on life-support machines, Athena was taken to the mortuary were Mellodie had been laid to rest so that the family could spend their final moments together.

After being placed in her mother's arms for the first and final time, Athena-Pearl was pronounced dead just hours after Mellodie, at around 6.42pm.

Postmortem results

The family got to spend some time with Athena-Pearl (Image: Daniel Darbyshire) Overwhelmed with shock and grief, Daniel was able to push his daughter in a pram back to the neo-natal unit once she was taken off life-support, while her uncle Steven bathed and prepared her for some professional photographs that the family can remember her by.

Steven, who has described his niece as being the "starting block of [his] desire to become a father" has since set up an online fundraiser to help Daniel and the family pay for funeral costs without any financial burden, which has raised more than £15,000.

With the tragic story tugging on the heartstrings of people across the country, the family have now learned of the cause of death of Mellodie-Ocean and Athena Pearl.

Following a postmortem examination at Bolton Coroner's Office, Mellodie's cause of death has been registered as pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis, and third trimester pregnancy.

Athena's cause of death has been registered as severe hypoxic encephalopathy with multi-organ dysfunction, as well as prematurity and maternal cardiac arrest.

'She was a queen'

Mellodie is described as being a 'queen' (Image: Daniel Darbyshire) Working together at the The Thomas Burke Wetherspoons on Leigh Road, Daniel and Mellodie were described as being "like glue" and the pair were looking forward to their first holiday together after the birth of their daughter.

Daniel, 18, from Leigh, said: "Mellodie was fun, caring, and very much the boss in the relationship.

"She was a queen who got what she wanted. We were both excited to become partners and had our whole lives to look forward to.

"I haven’t just lost my partner and daughter; I have lost my world, my dreams, and my safety blanket."

Mellodie's mum Justine, 52, added: "Mellodie was [my] only daughter - a daughter who was both a daughter and a friend.

"[We] confided in each other and enjoyed going to the cinema and shopping together.

"She was my world and was blessing me with my first granddaughter. She was funny and beautiful and would absolutely speak her mind."

Mellodie and Daniel were described as being 'like glue' (Image: Daniel Darbyshire) Mellodie’s uncle Steven Darby, 32, added: "Mellodie was not only my niece; she was the foundation of my learning to mature into the man I am today.

"She was the starting block of my desire to become a father myself. She taught me how to be patient, she taught me how to connect, and she allowed me to nurture her throughout her life. 

"She was my makeup palette when I wanted to play with makeup, she played salon with me when I thought I could do hair, she allowed me to think I was Gok Wan, and she embraced me when I thought the world wouldn’t; she was many things.

"This girl taught me the meaning of parenting and nurturing, and for that, I will hold it dear. It breaks my heart that I will not see her learn and strive like I did when she entered the world; the pain in my heart is breathtaking. 

"The image of her serene face, sleeping peacefully with her beautiful daughter, is etched in my mind, a haunting reminder of all that is lost.

"I ask myself if she really knows she’s holding her baby girl. I guess I ask myself a lot of questions.

"But one thing I do know is that she loved me, and I absolutely adore the little girl that I waited to enter the world and the lady she was becoming."

Mellodie's mum said that she became a daughter and a friend (Image: Daniel Darbyshire)

The family has also expressed their gratitude to the emergency team, neo-natal unit, and bereavement workers, at Bolton Hospital for trying their best to save Mellodie and Athena.

Steven added: "Their love, caring, and kind support were very much needed, and [they] made every effort to make us feel safe. 

"The team at the mortuary and our bereavement key worker have been so understanding and caring toward the whole family.

"It was paramount to see that this event has touched everyone involved, and as much as we are struggling to come to terms with this whole situation, we can see that all involved are very much affected.

"So, from the bottom of my heart,  we would like to say thank you for being kind and caring at a moment in life that is really needed.

"As you can imagine, we are trying to navigate this news and understand why something like this can happen and how it has resulted in our precious girls being so cruelly taken from us.."

To continue to support the family and raise funds for the funeral and memorial costs, you can visit Steven's fundraiser here.

More than £15,000 has been raised after the tragedy  (Image: Daniel Darbyshire)