Guest Post by Renu Daly, of Hudgell Solicitors, medical negligence specialist and solicitor for Gaynor McConnell

Answers and support.

These are the two things people who turn to me are searching for when they ask for legal support regarding the medical care they have received.

Often, mistakes made by health professionals have proved life-changing. Errors have left lives incomparable with what was the norm before. In some cases, lives have been lost.

In the case of Gaynor McConnell, the precious life lost was that of her beautiful baby boy Cayden. He died aged only one, having contracted meningitis for the second time in his short life.

At the time, Gaynor had been given the impression that there was nothing that could have been done to bring about any other outcome. Cayden could have been remembered as simply one of the tragic unlucky ones.

Thanks to Gaynor’s determination, Cayden is not remembered as unlucky. He is remembered as a child let down doctors – and that makes such a huge difference.

Without Gaynor’s drive for answers, mistakes made in the treatment of Cayden would have been brushed under the carpet. No lessons learned by doctors, no lessons learned for other parents.

Cayden’s Story is now being told time and again ever so bravely by Gaynor. It is emotionally challenging for her to do, yet she is determined as many people as possible know what happened.

He could and should have been saved by doctors, and by sharing his heart-breaking story, I have no doubt that Gaynor will prevent many more young lives being lost in the future.

Errors in care for Cayden only forthcoming after legal intervention

Gaynor wanted answers, and turned to Hudgell Solicitors to help her discover what really happened with regards to her son’s medical care.

From the onset I was honest with her.

The legal process can bring answers, but I always stress that it can’t guarantee the answers you want to hear.

From the onset, Gaynor just wanted the full facts and was open to every possibility. She just wanted the care of her son reviewed and independently assessed, and to know whether more could have been done to prevent his death. What parent wouldn’t?

Gaynor’s suspicions had been triggered shortly after Cayden’s death, when she saw a dermoid tumour which had been removed from the base of his spine during emergency care, and became aware of the huge amount of puss that had built up around his brain.

It made her question whether something could have been done earlier, and whether chances to save her boy had been missed.

Answers were not forthcoming from doctors, and when I spoke to her for the first time, I felt passionate about helping her find out exactly what had happened.

Independent review of care highlighted missed opportunities to prevent meningitis

I can vividly remember the day myself and Gaynor were presented with scans from when Cayden had his first bout of meningitis aged just four months.

Cayden had battled through and overcome meningitis at that stage. He was fighting, but it was soon to become apparent that doctors had let him down.

A MRI scan from the time showed an open tract from to an external lump at the base of his spine.

It was clear on the scan, and this should have been the trigger for doctors to identify the tumour and remove it there and then, as 60 per cent of open tracts point to the presence of such tumours, which are a recognised conduit for bacterial infection of the central nervous system, causing meningitis and intraspinal abscesses.

The failure to do so on that day meant that Cayden effectively had a ticking time bomb inside him.

He was always going to get meningitis again, and that was something Gaynor could not have expected.

Cayden’s Story can help prevent the loss of future lives by early diagnosis

Gaynor has since spoken about her hurt, frustration and anger over being made to feel like an over-protective mother in the months after Cayden had his first bout of meningitis.

He was often ill, suffering from colds and infections, but Gaynor was advised all was normal.

When Cayden became seriously ill with meningitis for a second time, his decline in health was rapid. By the time a rash appeared, it was too late. Meningitis had ravaged his body and there was no way back.

Gaynor is now urging other parents and guardians to trust their instincts and take decisive action should they fear their children show any of the signs and symptoms of meningitis or sepsis, urging them not to simply seek reassurance, but to demand full tests and examinations by doctors.

There can be no more powerful message than that from a mother who has so tragically lost her baby.

I completely admire Gaynor for what she is doing. Her work has already helped some mothers take action, and has led to early meningitis diagnosis. That in itself is a fantastic legacy for Cayden.

It is all because Gaynor wanted those answers and support.

They were difficult answers which I am certainly very happy to have uncovered for Gaynor, as so very few could take those answers and make such a positive impact given all she has been through.