*Updated September 15 at 11:00am:*
Earlier this month, a Chinese toddler died at Family Day Care in Brisbane. His parents say they can't eat at all and rely on medication to fall asleep.
Her mother, Ying Song, and father, Ning Ma, said in an interview with Australia's Channel 7 News that Riley "always had a smile on her face".
Riley Ma (Credit: News Corp Australia)
"He is already 13 months old today, and our whole family is in great pain because of this incident," Song said. ”
Song Ying also said that she needed to rely on drugs to fall asleep at night, and she did not know how to tell her mother who had cancer about it.
"Our lives have been turned upside down, and after the funeral, we need the help of a psychologist."
*Updated September 9 at 12:05pm:
Riley Ma, who was only 12 months old, passed away on September 2 at a nursery in Wakerley, Brisbane.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, the local community has been helping the broken family.
The GoFundMe fundraising page raised over $20,000 in four days. This is not only a testament to the community's love, but also to the plight of Riley's family after her passing.
Yang Zhao, the organizer of the fundraiser, said: "Riley Ma's mother not only had to deal with the devastation of losing her only child, but also had to figure out how to tell the sad news to the elderly in her family who was suffering from cancer. ”
Riley's grandparents have now arrived in Australia and the whole family is grateful to the donors.
*Updated September 4 at 3:50 p.m.
According to the 7News website, at present, Australian investigators have not declared the death of the young child suspicious or established a crime scene, but will try to determine the cause of his death.
As required by Queensland law, family day care services must be approved to operate and are subject to strict regulation and oversight.
No more than 7 children are allowed in family day care at any one time, the staff must be trained child care providers, and the place must be approved as a safe child care place.
The Queensland Department of Education, which oversees the state's childcare operations, has been 'aware' of the incident but has yet to launch an investigation.
"As the matter is currently under the responsibility of the Queensland Police, we are unable to comment further at this time," the spokesperson said. ”
Police said the investigation is still ongoing and there is no further information yet.
Before the tragedy, how often this daycare center was inspected by staff will be a key question for the investigation.
*Updated September 3 at 6:50 a.m.*:
According to the Courier Mail, Riley Ma was in a good mood when he was dropped off at 7:30 a.m. that morning at a local family-run daycare centre.
In the afternoon, Riley's dad received a message from a caregiver saying that "something bad had happened" and asked him to come over.
According to Katrina Zhang, a close friend of the family, when the child's father arrived, the ambulance had arrived.
"The child's father quickly arrived and found that Riley was unresponsive, and the ambulance had arrived, and they were doing their best to save the child," Zhang said. ”
"They tried for a while, and then announced that the child was dead and there was no need to take him to the hospital."
Zhang said that the child seemed to be struggling in the last moments of his life.
Riley's lips were purple and his fists were clenched, apparently struggling before he could take his last breath.
"This incident is devastating for the family."
The Courier Post
Riley's 36-year-old mum said she was grappling with the loss of her only child, "He was our only child, our hope, and my husband and I cherished him immensely, he was my everything." ”
She also said that when she arrived at the scene, she was not allowed to hold her son, "They said to my husband, you can hold him a little bit, and my husband hugged the child tightly." "But when I arrived, the police had already arrived before me, so they didn't allow me to touch my child, they didn't allow me to kiss or hug him, so I didn't do anything."
The grief-stricken mother said she had not told her cancer-stricken mother about the loss of her grandson.
"Her cancer is in stage 4 and Riley is her hope, I don't dare tell her the truth, I just tell her that the child is sick, but I also know that eventually she will know the truth."
"I don't eat, drink, or sleep right now, I just miss my little boy."
*3:20**pm Update:
Channel 7 mentioned in a report on the afternoon of the 3rd that Queensland police said that at about 3:30 pm on Monday, they received a call to a daycare service address in Wakerley and found a 1-year-old boy dead.
A police investigation is ongoing.
On the evening of the 2nd, a Chinese mother in Brisbane mourned and asked for help in the local "Bao Ma Group", saying that her 12-month-old son had unfortunately passed away in the nursery (Family Day Care).
She sadly left a message in the group, saying, "My sky has fallen, and I don't know how to live." ”
The mother said that the daycare service involved was located in Brisbane's East End, and that the person who was responsible for the baby's care that day was an Indian staff member.
At around 3 p.m. that day, her husband suddenly received a call from a daycare agency, saying that "something happened to the baby."
He arrived and saw that the ambulance had arrived, but it was too late.
"The ambulance staff said that there is no need to send it to the hospital, the person has already left, let my husband hug, hug well." She arrived, and the police had already arrived, "giving me a look at the baby and then covering it with a white cloth." ”
The mother said that when she finally saw the baby, "the mouth was purple and the little fists were clenched." ”
This made her like five thunderbolts, fainting on the spot, unable to accept the reality. "I want to bring the child back." She said.
She said that the baby is healthy and lively on weekdays, and there is no disease. However, there is no official conclusion as to the cause of his death.
This news instantly "blew up" in the Bao Ma group. Some netizens questioned that the nursery school may be responsible for dereliction of duty.
The mother who lost her beloved son is looking forward to the truth, if you can lend a hand, please leave a message in the comments.