The family of a 23-year-old man who died five days after getting a Covid-19 vaccine have told the inquest into his death that all they want is the truth about how he died.
On the opening day of the inquest into the death of Roy Butler, from O'Reilly Road, Cork Road, Waterford, his mother Angela told Cork City Coroner Philip Comyn that her son "was perfect, and then he got his injection, and then he wasn't".
A talented soccer player, Roy Butler was described as a fit, healthy and sporty young man who attended the gym up to four times a week.
On 12 August 2021, he was vaccinated with the Johnson & Johnson Janssen Covid-19 vaccine. Four days later he suffered convulsions at home and was rushed to University Hospital Waterford.
He was later transferred to Cork University Hospital where he was put on a life support machine. He died the following day, 17 August 2021, having never regained consciousness.
In a series of texts to family and friends in the days beforehand, the young footballer said he did not feel well, saying he was suffering from headaches, sweats and joint pain.
In one text message sent 48 hours before his death, he told his brother Aaron that he was "f**ked after the vaccine".
The court was told that he was a 'mild asthmatic' but it was well under control.
His mother Angela Butler told Mr Comyn that her son did not want to take the vaccine but took it because he wanted to go to Dubai on holidays with friends. She said prior to 12 August, her son had never been sick.
"He was perfect, and then he got this injection, and then he wasn't," she told the Coroner.
She said after finishing his work shift at Bausch & Lomb on 16 August, he went to the gym but came home early. She said he was very pale and he told her "heart was banging out of his chest".
He went to bed and later he texted her. She found him in bed in an unresponsive state and called the emergency services.
She said Roy was "perfectly well before the vaccine. I just want the truth".
She said her son’s passion was football, he loved his family, he was always ready to give a helping hand. "We miss him every second of every day", she told the court.
His father Martin said his son was a very healthy 23-year-old, with no previous medical history.
He said on 16 August, his son got up early and was in good spirits because he was off for a couple of days. He had a small dinner - a nutritional meal - before he went to the gym. When he came home, he looked pale and shook and said he was not feeling well and went to bed.
He described being unable to get a response from him as he lay on his bed awaiting the arrival of paramedics.
"His eyes were closed and even though he was getting sick, I kept talking to him to get a response as he lay on the bed getting convulsions".
"The paramedics told me to keep talking to him and I held his hand," Mr. Butler said.
Mr Butler said that at University Hospital Waterford, he was told by medical staff that they had never seen anything like this before, and because of his age, and previous good health, they were going to transfer him to Cork.
His son was transferred by ambulance to Cork under garda escort and they followed behind.
En route they got a call from the surgeon who said "Roy had only a 2% chance of survival", 20 minutes later, the neurosurgeon rang again and put his survival changes at 1%.
Mr Butler said the following day at Cork University Hospital the surgeon told them "they did everything and nothing was working" and he and his son made the decision to switch off his life support machine.
Mr Butler said his son was a very keen soccer player from an early age, and his only wish was to play for Waterford.
His older brother Aaron described a number of texts received and sent by his only sibling before and after he got the vaccine.
In one, he told his friends he did not want to get the vaccine, but he wanted to go on holidays to Dubai, so would get it.
He later described feeling a bit shook but told friends who urged him to take paracetamol that he did not like taking tablets and would not take time off work "because he was old school".
In a text to his brother Aaron, he said he was ‘f**ked after the vaccine", complaining of headaches, sweating, grogginess, sore jaw and neck adding "I'm not dying, I'm just not well", he texted him.
Paramedic Brian Jackman described finding the young footballer "showing signs of having a stroke and having difficulty breathing".
He said the young man started having convulsions and seizures at the scene and they called a second ambulance to help them transfer him to hospital. They later transferred him to CUH.
In a report read out in court, Roy Butler’s GP Dr Bernadette O’Leary said she had not seen him in person since 2017. She described him as a healthy, sporty young man saying he had a background of mild asthma, but she had "no concerns about his asthma" although she was considering changing his inhaler regime.
A report from the Health Products Regulatory Authority following an enquiry from Mr Comyn said that there had been no reports to date of suspected cerebral haemorrhage due to the Janssen vaccine.
Consultant Neuroradiologist at Cork University Hospital Dr Gerald Wyse said tests showed that Mr Butler had a large haematoma in his brain which led to a catastrophic intercranial bleed. The haemorrage was so large it had leaked into other areas of his brain, Dr Wyse said.
Dr Wyse said it was a very unusual presentation.
The patient was "much, much younger than our normal cohort but it is something that does happen".
"I remember two patients over 20 years that we couldn't find the cause for such a large bleed", he told Mr Comyn.
The inquest is set to continue until Thursday with representatives of Johnson & Johnson due to give evidence tomorrow, and Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margot Bolster due in the witness box on Thursday.
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