THE PARENTS of a 14-week-old baby who died of leukaemia have urged other parents to "kick down doors" to demand medical attention if they feel their child requires it.
Tom and Julia O'Connor, from Mallow, Co Cork, claim the health system failed their son Adam, their first-born, who died earlier this year on February 17th, just two days after he was diagnosed with leukaemia.
The death followed weeks of GP visits, calls to Cork's out-of-hours doctor service SouthDoc and two visits to the Cork University Hospital (CUH) accident and emergency department, all of which failed to detect any serious illness.
Adam was born on November 10th, 2008, and weighed a healthy 9lb 6oz, but within weeks he began to show signs of distress.
It was thought initially the child was suffering from colic or constipation. Repeated visits to their GP yielded only laxative medication.
But Ms O'Connor said: "He was getting worse every day. He was in excruciating pain."
On January 4th, 2009, the O'Connors brought their child to CUH where he was examined by a junior doctor. X-rays revealed that Adam was "severely blocked up" but no blood tests were carried out.
By early February, Adam was feeding less and less and had begun to vomit.Entering his final days, his condition was "absolutely horrific" and his parents brought him to A&E at CUH.
"He was limp and listless in our arms, his face was white as snow and his lips were dry," Ms O'Connor said. Once again, the child was examined and sent home, for what would be his last night at home with his parents
Desperate for help the following day, the O'Connors brought Adam to Mallow General Hospital, where he was admitted immediately. He was sent by ambulance to CUH, examined by a paediatrician and blood tests were carried out for the first time. Within hours, he was diagnosed with leukaemia.
"They said he had a cell count of 600 and they had never seen anything like that before in a child of his age," Ms O'Connor said.
Adam was baptised on Monday, February 16th, and he died the following day. "We were told he would have died anyway, but he could have had pain relief. He could have had proper care in hospital," Ms O'Connor said.
Her husband, Tom, issued a plea to other parents to trust their instincts. "Make a scene at A&E if you have to. Kick down doors if you have to. Don't leave hospital without seeing a paediatrician."
A spokeswoman for Health Service Executive South said the case was the subject of an internal review.