Selfless doctor won the race to save our son’s life
Last February our three-year-old boy became very ill, very quickly. His symptoms began as nothing more than what appeared to be a standard tummy bug. What developed within two hours was every parent’s nightmare — bacterial meningitis, and it was poisoning our little boy.
A series of events which would result in saving our boy’s life soon unfolded. Our good fortune began when we contacted Dr Andrew Crosbie of Grange Medical Centre in Cork. On hearing the symptoms, he immediately requested that our son be brought to his clinic. He was waiting for us on arrival, although the clinic was officially closed.
He took no risks and immediately administered penicillin — a move that resulted in saving our son’s life.
He then contacted the triage department at Cork University Hospital (CUH), ensuring they were ready for our arrival, and took it upon himself to drive us there to make sure we lost no time. The speed at which Dr Crosbie acted, have no doubt, is one of the main reasons our son survived.
A father of young children to have exposed himself so selflessly to possible infection is an act that as often as I relive the day and put myself in his position, I find worthy of the highest praise.
His words of assurance offered the strength we needed to cope with the critical situation we were in — the possibility of losing our son.
On arrival at CUH, we went straight to the triage department where the good nurses and doctors were waiting. The level of care our son received at this point, and the speed at which it was administered, belied a system that is currently plagued with delays.
It was at this point the symptoms of meningitis really began to appear. Those symptoms we all fear and pray to God we will never see or experience whenever our children fall ill: high temperature, rash, neck stiffness and an aversion to light.
The remaining week in CUH enabled us to experience first hand the work of paediatrician Dr Brian Fraser and his dedicated team, including Dr Shashi, as well as a nursing team whose dedication to helping our son resulted in his ultimate recovery. They were incredible both in the care of our son and their genuine concern for us. They are all to be commended.
In conclusion, our son was saved thanks to the prompt and caring action of Dr Crosbie and the dedicated team of professionals at CUH.
When you are so close to losing the most precious thing in your life you depend on the strength and wisdom of others to help you through and for this the team of medical professionals we encountered were second to none.
My advice as a mother: always trust your instinct, act quickly and pray to God you have access to a GP like Dr Crosbie. Meningitis waits for no-one, can kill in a matter of hours and is indiscriminate in its selection, so it is on our health service you will come to rely — a scary thought?
Perhaps. But within a flawed health system there are professionals who have learned to work within the constraints, saving the lives of young and old, and dedicating their time and effort to try to prevent tragedies from occurring.
Susan O’Flynn
Richmond House
Monkstown
Co Cork
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