Parents team with Sen. Bob Casey for bill to fight Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood

PITTSBURGH — Scarlett Pauley’s parents talk about her in the past tense.

“She was an amazing little girl, had a huge personality. She would light up any room she was in,” Ryan Pauley said.

Scarlett was just 16 months old when she died suddenly, with no explanation. She’s one of hundreds of children who die every year from Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood.

SUDC is not a cause of death, but rather a category. Similar to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, SUDC is the diagnosis used for children 12 months and older.

Three years later, Scarlett’s parents still don’t know exactly why she died.

“We put her to bed and Stephanie went in to check on her a little after midnight Jan. 8 and found her unresponsive, not breathing in her crib,” Ryan Pauley said.

“We started CPR immediately. They took her to the hospital and they did everything that they could to save her but ultimately there was nothing they could do,” Stephanie Zarecky said.

Scarlett’s parents are using that grief to try to save other children. Sen. Bob Casey just announced a bill called “Scarlett’s Sunshine.” It’s heading to President Donald Trump’s desk to be signed into law. The law would provide grants to help improve data collection and investigations related to these mysterious deaths.

“It felt so isolating after we lost Scarlett that for people to know that this exists and that if this happens to you or, heaven forbid, someone you know or love, you’re not alone. There’s a community of support,” Stephanie Zarecky said.

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