Poppy Eagle was at home for the summer when she died at her home in the North East
Poppy Eagle was at home for the summer when she died at her home in the North East
A university student back home for the summer holidays died suddenly, leaving her family devastated. Poppy Eagle had no previous cardiac issues but her heart stopped unexpectedly, and neither her family’s efforts nor those of the emergency services could save her.
The 20-year-old was a sister to four and a cherished daughter to Vicki and Peter. Since her death on August 7 this year, her loved ones have channelled their grief into action by setting up the Poppy’s Light Foundation. Their charity aims to enhance bereavement support and initiate better cardiac screening for young people.
Screening may have detected the hidden ailment that caused Poppy’s death, her family believes, and they are committed to preventing other families from enduring such heartbreak. The Eagles, from Washington in Tyne and Wear, are working hard to raise awareness and funds.
Her mother Vicki said: “Poppy’s Light fundraising has been such a success and there’s a real comfort in that.”, reports Chronicle Live. She added: “What we have found is that there is really not a great deal of support around for bereaved children.
“Poppy was such a loving person, so vibrant, so full of light. So the charity is a way of keeping that light shining while doing something that can support other children.
“Along with that there’s the cardiac screening – for us it’s the idea that screening could have at least given us some information that might have saved Poppy and it’s to see if we could save another family from the feelings we have this Christmas.”
Poppy’s siblings Ollie, Faith, Heidi and Florence have all been closely involved – and Vicki said they had been such a close unit before tragedy struck, so processing their grief had been especially difficult. That is much of the inspiration behind the charity’s drive to provide better bereavement support for youngsters.
Speaking about passing the initial £25,000 fundraising target that the family had set, Vicki added: “It’s just been the whole community coming together – so many family and friends, but even people who we had never met before have really helped get behind this. In January, my husband and son, and a few other dads and sons, will be climbing Kilamanjaro.”
Vicki – who worked as a nurse but stepped back when Poppy died to help support her other children and found the charity – said her work family had been hugely supportive too.
