A mother whose son underwent bilateral hip surgery in Crumlin in 2022 at the age of three has said she sat at her kitchen table and cried her eyes out when she considered the impact of a letter from Children's Health Ireland about a review into hip dysplasia surgery.
Áine Gladney-Knox from Goresbridge, Co Kilkenny, described the letter from CHI as a bit "wishy washy" and said she initially did not pay much attention to it.
Yesterday it emerged that children who have had developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) surgeries at the three CHI hospitals are to be offered "routine follow-up care", according to letters sent to parents recently.
This type of surgery is where the ball and socket joint of a child's hip has not properly formed.
It follows an early recommendation from the independent review, that is yet to be completed, into dysplasia of the hip operations at Crumlin, Temple Street and the National Orthopaedic Hospital Cappagh.
"If he is one of these children after all he has gone through, it will break me as a parent"
The letters sent by CHI say that the follow-up appointment is part of the "normal post-operative review process and is not urgent".
The routine follow-up appointments will be offered to children "in the coming months" if a child is not already in a long-term follow-up process with one of the hospitals.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Ms Gladney-Knox said she "looked at the letter, put it down and went about my day, but I later re-read it after hearing media reports."
"If he is one of these children after all he has gone through, it will break me as a parent," she said.
"It's a kick in the teeth and I want answers for my child"
Ms Gladney-Knox said the Minister for Health needs to come out and reassure parents, while also putting pressure on hospitals to provide answers.
"We haven't heard a word from anybody, only this letter. I'm coming home every day and checking my letter box to see is there an update, is Archie one of these children."
The letter made her question her judgement as a parent, she said, adding "my anxiety is through the roof".
"It's a kick in the teeth and I want answers for my child."
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As a parent you trust doctors and what they tell you, Ms Gladney-Knox said, adding she was always told Archie's left hip was very bad and the right hip was bad, "but now I wonder was it."
Ms Gladney-Knox explained she was told that Archie had a dislocation of the left leg when he was six months old.
Read more:
McDonald says 'hip surgery scandal' goes back 15 years
He underwent some procedures to rectify his left hip before a decision was made for surgery to be carried out on both hips in 2022.
She said Archie went through "absolute hell" after the surgery.
He was admitted to St Luke's hospital in Kilkenny the day after he returned home from Dublin.
He ended up needing a blood transfusion and was treated with antibiotics before returning to Crumlin for further treatment.
Ms Gladney-Knox said his last appointment was probably 18 months ago when they were told doctors were happy with his progress and were going to leave him for a couple of years.
Ms Gladney-Knox is a member of Sinn Féin, and stood unsuccessfully as a general election candidate in Carlow-Kilkenny last year.
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