Insist your child gets medical attention, say bereaved couple

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.

FULL STORY CLICK HERE LOUISE ROSEINGRAVE © Irishtimes.com