Jessica Hildreth was only 23 and her children were her life. She had many hopes and dreams but they all came to naught that fateful day in the forest.
Editor's note: This article was originally published on June 10, 2020. It has since been updated.
Jessica Hildreth was a mom, a daughter, a partner, a friend, and a lot more. She was also in the prime of her youth, only 23, and perhaps had never imagined that she would have to say goodbye to her family at that age. She had dreams and hopes of having her own business in the field she loved most, childcare. She had started a childminding business in Yorkshire, where she lived with her partner and sons. But, she will never see her sons grow up and will never get to run her business anymore.
The 23-year-old mom lived in Middleton-on-the-Wolds, Yorkshire, UK, with her partner, Lewis Riley, and two sons, Tommy, 6, and Harry, 3, and had been on a walk in the Yorkshire Wolds on May 31, 2020. It was a Sunday and the family of four had been with their extended family while exploring the forest there. Suddenly, she felt ill and collapsed. Her brother, Joe, and his girlfriend Courtney quickly gave her CPR. Meanwhile, Lewis called Hildreth's parents and emergency services for help, according to Hull Live.
"Lewis had called us and we arrived to help. The first responder was the first on the scene and was there a little while before anyone else arrived. He was an amazing chap who did all he could to save Jessica and also helped me a lot," said her dad John Hildreth. She was then airlifted to Leeds General Infirmary but despite the best efforts of the medics, she passed away from a fatal heart attack.
Her family is devastated by their loss and has paid an emotional tribute to the "amazing mum," according to Hull Live. "Jessica was a healthy, bubbly girl. She was one-in-a-million and she would do anything for anyone," said John.
"She was the most genuine person you could ever come across and never had a bad word to say to anyone. She was the best daughter you could wish for and such a brilliant and dedicated mother. She loved her children, she loved her partner and she loved life. She was just an amazing person," he added. The young woman's mother, Susan, also remembers her daughter fondly.
"Jessica always wanted to be a mother. She lived for her children. She had just started to set up her own child-minding business which she was very excited about. She had always been interested in childcare but the business was a new thing and had to be put on hold during the lockdown. Everything she did was to do with her boys and Lewis. Her life revolved around that," she said.
She had become an important part of Lewis' family as well and will be missed by them too. She and Lewis were childhood sweethearts, who had been together for 11 years. They had imagined a beautiful life together but it was all over in one day.
Her father described her as someone who truly had joie de vivre. "She was happy-go-lucky and nothing was a problem for her. If any of us had a problem you could pick up the phone to her and she would be the first one round. She was fond of the countryside and the seaside which she always visited with her family. Her children just loved being outside. Jessica was an unbelievable person and she embraced life," he said, according to Mirror UK.
She had collapsed in the middle of the woods, away from the main roads, and her family believes that she could have had a fighting chance if paramedics would have reached her faster. They want to raise awareness about the app what3words which can help emergency services track someone in trouble faster. "We didn’t know anything about this app. We only found out about it through this terrible experience. My daughter and her family were in the middle of nowhere at the time. We can’t say having the app would have saved her but it would have helped the emergency services find them more quickly," they said.
While they lost their precious daughter, they take solace in the fact that she was surrounded by people she loved in her final moments and was in nature. However, that won't stop them from feeling their pain intensely. "We will miss everything about Jessica. Me, my wife and Lewis are all absolutely heartbroken. Our world has been destroyed. You cannot describe the feeling. We feel like we are dead inside," said John.
'One in a million' mum Jessica Hildreth, 23, died on family walk in the Wolds - Hull Live - Her family are urging walkers to download the @what3words app that can be used to help the Emergency Services locate those in need. https://t.co/prVJDcGXbd
— Yorkshire Wolds (@Yorkshire_Wolds) June 8, 2020
Her friend, Kelly Middlemas, and Lewis are organizing a fundraiser on GoFundme to help pay for the funeral arrangements.
References:
https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/news/hull-east-yorkshire-news/mum-jessica-hildreth-died-walk-4201676
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/one-million-mum-23-collapses-22155096
https://www.gofundme.com/f/mrmbb-jessica?
Cover Image Source: GoFundMe
