Quadruple amputee girl Kia Gott, 8, dies

Kia Gott, pictured in May 2024, died on Monday night, her family says

An eight-year-old girl who had all of her limbs amputated after contracting meningitis C as a baby has died.

Kia Gott, from Bradford, was diagnosed with what doctors said was "one of the worst cases of meningitis" they had seen when she was 10 months old.

Her family announced that Kia "passed away in her sleep" on Monday night after "struggling for the last six months".

"We were told she wouldn't live past three and she made it until nearly nine," Vicky Gott, Kia's mother, said.

Speaking to BBC Yorkshire following Kia's death, Mrs Gott said: "Thank you to everyone who cared and followed Kia's story.

"She had been struggling for the last six months, now she is at peace with my mum."

Meningitis is an infection of the membrane that surrounds the brain and spinal cord.

Kia contracted the condition in 2017 before she could receive the MenC vaccine, which was administered to infants at 12 months old as part of the UK's routine childhood vaccination programme.

Kia Gott, pictured with family on her first birthday, had her limbs amputated after she contracted meningitis C as a baby

In a statement released at the time, Public Health England said the disease was "very rare across all age groups and especially in young babies".

Mrs Gott added: "Kia knew how much we loved her - she could see, she could hear, she could smile.

"She would smile every time she heard the chimes next to her bed."

Kia was taken to Bradford Royal Infirmary in December 2023 for a chest infection and was later moved by air ambulance to Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool.

She was discharged after around four weeks, but became unwell again in June this year, according to social media posts.

Her parents, who described Kia as "the most precious soul", thanked her extended family who had provided care for Kia during her life.

Kia's father, Paul Gott, said: "I used to come into the room and say, 'where's my girl', and she'd give me a big smile.

"I'm so pleased Kia had Vicky as a mum, she is amazing."

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