The mother of a two-year-old girl who died from invasive Strep A at a Dublin hospital last year has said her daughter was normally a healthy child.
Speaking on RTÉ's News at One, Lauren Graham, the mother of Phoenix Graham-Hayden, said the family are heartbroken by the death of the "energetic, sassy" young girl.
Phoenix died at Temple Street Children's Hospital on 3 November 2022, 48 hours after being originally sent home.
When Phoenix became unwell, Ms Graham tried to get her a doctor's appointment, but soon decided to take her child to hospital.
"I expressed how I felt. I told them she was not well, told them that she was sick, and they discharged us," she said.
Ms Graham said Phoenix had a high temperature, had got sick and was not taking food.
"They tried to administer steroids, but she spit them back out. Her throat was too sore to take them," she said.
At this point, Ms Graham said she was told it was a viral infection.
"She had a sore throat and inflamed ears, but they just said it was a viral infection. Take Calpol, Nurofen and discharge," she said.
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As instructed, she took her daughter home and tried to get fluids into her, which Ms Graham said "was impossible".
"She would not take Nurofen for us, but it was a struggle trying to get the Calpol in. I knew she was not well.
"She was not getting any better because there was no medicine actually provided it was, as we were told, viral and just Calpol is all we were given," Ms Graham said.
She said she called an ambulance when her daughter became "more or less non-responsive".
"She just got sicker and sicker. Once she was admitted it was kind of panic stations," Ms Graham said.
Phoenix was admitted and given a rapid Strep test. It showed she had Strep and left-sided pneumonia.
"Everything was a kind of a rush then after that because it was like they realised actually how sick Phoenix actually was," she told the programme.
Ms Graham said the doctors kept saying "there is not a lot that we can tell you at this time. Phoenix is very ill".
'Everybody knows their own child'
When her daughter was given a bed in the ICU, she went into cardiac arrest. Then she became brain-dead.
Ms Graham said: "Just us as a family, we are heartbroken with the way it happened because as a parent.
"I think everybody knows their own child, you know, and it is just unfortunate the way everything has unfolded.
"Anything that me and my family have gone through, I really hope with the procedures then that they will change in the future that no other family will have to go through the heartache and pain that we go through every single day."
Ms Graham said every minute with sepsis counts.
"She was energetic, she was sassy, she was the most beautiful little thing that ever, ever walked the planet. She was just unbelievable," Ms Graham said.
In a statement, Children's Health Ireland said: "We wish to extend our deepest condolences to Phoenix’s family at such a difficult time.
"Children's Health Ireland considers recommendations from the Coroner with upmost importance. Once received, the recommendations will be reviewed by CHI."
