Tragic end to 'little button's' life

Skye Adams was born with a rare genetic defect called Comelia de Lange Syndrome. Photo / Supplied

Skye Adams squealed and laughed, her big blue eyes sparkling.

The 10-year-old was going to spend the first week of the school holidays with her father and stepmother.

Her mother, Sandy Adams, kissed Skye goodbye and the child let out her typical high-pitched giggle.

Mrs Adams never dreamed it would be the last time she saw her "little button" alive.

A week later, the severely disabled child was being carried by her stepmother at their Hornby home when the stepmother tripped over their pet dog and fell.

She dropped the child and Skye's head struck a trolley table.

She suffered a serious head injury and died in hospital two days later.

Yesterday Mrs Adams, 42, said she was not angry with her daughter's stepmother.

She said she accepted it was "a tragic accident".

"It's no fault of anybody ... She is not an easy child to carry. She does have a lot of medical problems. That is probably the hardest thing.

"We've got over so many hurdles."

The first she heard of her daughter's injury was a text message from the stepmother last Friday morning that read, 'Skye's had an accident. Can you go to hospital?'

"I was gone," she said.

Mrs Adams kept a bedside vigil over her daughter, who remained unconscious until her death on Sunday.

She said it was a devastating end for a child she had fought to keep alive for more than 10 years.

"She did come home on the 11th, but not the way she should have come home," she said.

"Not to have the chance to say to her face, 'I love you' - that hurts."

Skye was born with a rare genetic defect called Cornelia de Lange Syndrome.

She had only one finger on each arm and could not walk. Prone to illness, she spent her first three months in hospital and nearly died from pneumonia at 2.

But Mrs Adams said disabilities never stopped Skye from getting the most out of her short life.

Skye lived with Mrs Adams every weekday and every second weekend and alternated weeks during school holidays with her father and stepmother, she said.

"She was a treasure. That's why we called her 'button'. She was tiny. She had a button nose," she said.

Skye still managed to get around the house by "bum shuffling" and could say "the important words - 'mum', 'dad', 'nan-nan' - that was all she needed," Mrs Adams said.

"She's had such a full life and such an adventurous life. She had so much to live for."

Skye enjoyed Hammersley Park School, was going to attend Allenvale Special School for disabled children next year, and was just learning to use a head-controlled power wheelchair.

Mrs Adams said she could not yet face going back to Eastgate Shopping Centre, where she would often take Skye for outings.

"Yes, she was disabled, but she didn't care ... didn't care that people looked at her. I didn't love her any different from my other children," she said.

"I'm not ready to say goodbye. That's just too hard right now. I'm not going to see her big blue eyes, hear her giggle ..."

"She has taught so much to people. She loved everybody.

"When you've got a child like this in a family, the love just grows."

However, she said she believed Skye had gone to a better place.

"I'm picturing her running in those fields. She couldn't run here, but she can run there."

A funeral for Skye is being held today at the Canterbury Crematorium Chapel on Linwood Ave, Christchurch.

Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Greg Murton said inquiries into the incident were continuing.

He said police were comfortable with the accident scenario at this stage, rather than anything sinister being involved.

However, Mr Murton said inquiries would not be completed until police had the results of a post-mortem examination which were expected in a couple of weeks.

- APN