'Other mums need to know': Mum's heartbreak after beloved Alfie, 7, suddenly dies

A mum has spoken of her heartbreak after her ‘beautiful and happy’ boy died suddenly after battling an undiagnosed eating disorder that left him severely malnourished. Alfie Anthony Nicholls, who had autism and was non verbal, tragically died aged just seven years old after suffering a cardiac arrest.

An inquest into his death at South Manchester Coroner's Court in Stockport held this week heard Alfie’s mum Lucy Morrison, 31, had taken him to hospital and his GP on a number of occasions in the weeks leading up to his death, knowing something was wrong.

The inquest heard Alfie had significant sensory difficulties which manifested in his eating and led to him having a severely restrictive diet. Problems with his diet were not picked up by medical professionals, however, who failed to spot that he was severely malnourished and told his mother, Lucy, that it was 'part of his autism'. Alfie tragically died on December 17, 2021, after collapsing at home.

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It was not until after his death that he was diagnosed with avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), which is not uncommon in children with autism but was not detected by medics. Following the inquest, a coroner criticised doctors for not spotting Alfie's malnutrition until after his death and Stepping Hill Hospital bosses have since apologised to Alfie's family for the 'missed opportunities' to help him.

His mother, who said she 'spent years going crazy', is now calling for more awareness of ARFID and how to manage it to ensure children get the nutrients they need.

The inquest heard that before starting school Alfie was under the care of an early years team and there was a