A family in Australia is mourning the unexpected loss of their young daughter. When 9-year-old Hannah Teklic complained to her mom about having a headache, her mom didn’t think much of it. She had no idea she would be planning her daughter’s funeral not even a week later. How would her parents ever suspect that their perfectly healthy daughter would die before her 10th birthday?
There were no warning signs. I can’t even imagine how devastating it must be for them. But now, they’re speaking about their girl and letting families know that this can happen so more lives aren’t lost.
The girl’s mom suspected she was in pain because she was so active.
The girl, who is from Sydney, died on May 11, 2026, four days after complaining about her head and neck hurting, mom Wasima Teklic told Australian newspaper the Herald Sun, as reported by People.
“She had a sore neck from dancing and doing cartwheels over the weekend and I thought that was causing it, so I gave her some painkillers,” she said. “She laid back down but then she started seizing, she rolled out of bed and her eyes looked like she was half asleep. It all happened very quickly.”
Hannah was taken to St. George Hospital and had emergency surgery. A drain was put into her brain to remove excess fluid before she was transferred to the ICU at Sydney Children’s Hospital later on May 7.
Although Hannah was “breathing the whole time,” she “wasn’t responsive,” dad Ivan Teklic told the newspaper. Two different rounds of tests confirmed the girl was brain dead.
“Even if the ambulance came quicker, I don’t think that would have done any good because her brain was gone straight away and we knew there would be no recovery,” the dad shared. “I kept hugging her, I kept crying, I kept trying to squeeze her hand but she wasn’t responding, she wasn’t there.”
Hannah’s parents kept her on life support to have one last Mother’s Day together.
According to her parents, Hannah had a brain arteriovenous malformation, or AVM, which “more than likely” caused her seizures, the newspaper reported. AVM is a “tangle of blood vessels that creates irregular connections between arteries and veins in the brain,” according to the Mayo Clinic.
Although a brain AVM is rare, most people are born with them. Typically, people aren’t aware of them until they rupture, which is what happened to Hannah, her parents explained.
“She was so healthy and so fit, there was nothing medical going on, she even went to school the day before,” her dad said.
The bereaved parents had nothing but wonderful things to say about their “one and only” daughter.
“She felt more than she thought, and I feel like we’re probably missing that in the world,” Ivan Teklic shared. According to her mom, Hannah, who would have turned 10 in July, “was really free-spirited – she struggled with shoes and socks, and would always be barefoot with her hair down.”
Her community is coming together to honor Hannah.
Marrickville FC, Hannah’s soccer club, paid tribute to her on social media. “It is with heavy hearts we inform the Marrickville FC Community of the passing of one of our Red Devils players, Hannah Teklic on Monday,” the post read.
“Hannah loved playing football with her friends and had been part of Marrickville FC for 3 years. Our thoughts and prayers are with her parents Ivan and Wasima, her family, friends and teammates during this difficult time,” the post added.
The club also asked that all the Marrickville FC teams wear black armbands to honor the girl, adding that she will be laid to rest in Ireland. “Fly high Hannah, watch over us all.”
A GoFundMe account was started by family friends to help ease the financial burdens of a funeral on the girl’s parents.
“She is a bright, beautiful soul who brought so much love, laughter and happiness to her Mum, Dad and everyone around her,” the fundraiser description reads.
“This unimaginable sudden loss has deeply affected her family in Australia, Ireland, Spain and Morocco,” the page continues. “It has also impacted Hannah’s friends, classmates, teachers and all who knew and loved her (of which there are so many). We pray for strength for Hannah’s family, comfort for all who loved her, and peace as our community comes together to support one another through such a devastating loss.”
