Mother and father of Autistic Woman Who Died of Sepsis Say Docs Tried to Blame Her to Cowl Up Their Errors
The parents of a girl with autism are understandably desperate after their daughter dies. The girl died of sepsis after the couple said doctors missed “several opportunities” to help her.
Rachel and Luke Bradford first took their daughter Coco Rose Bradford to the emergency room after she had fluids, bloody stools and could not hold back fluids, but they were soon sent home with a likely diagnosis of gastroenteritis.
Coco’s condition did not improve. Her parents took her back to the hospital the next day, but the doctors still didn’t consider the condition to be serious. The family begged that more should be done for their daughter.
“Luke and I grew more upset and concerned about the casualness of the staff about her condition. It seemed like they had no idea what was wrong with her, ”says Rachel. “They didn’t realize that she was near death. We were told she would be fine and every time we asked we were told that a stool sample was not needed or [had] has been requested. I felt like they thought I was overreacting and worrying for free every time we asked questions. “
Coco continued to deteriorate and after three days she was transferred from Treliske Royal Cornwall Hospital to Bristol Children’s Hospital. She died of multiple organ failure caused by sepsis about a week after she was first admitted to the emergency room. According to the coroner, she suffered from haemolytic uremic syndrome due to E. coli 157.
Since her daughter’s death in 2017, Rachel has fought to uncover the truth about the neglect of the medical staff that led to her daughter’s death.
“Every employee denied having knowledge of bloody vomit and feces, but it is on all records,” she says. “There were notes accusing Coco of being uncooperative. She was in terrible pain and died before her eyes. “
Rachel and Luke say doctors and counselors missed several opportunities to order blood tests and stool samples, and to rehydrate the child with intravenous fluids.
“Nobody was acted,” complains Rachel. “We don’t accept that human error should be a factor. This missed the most basic level of care.
She also says, “Every day there were tears, tears and more tears. We just want the truth. You never know how it feels until it happens to you. “
Rachel also says hospital staff gave Coco a pain rating of zero even though she was in excruciating pain and they didn’t notice the signs of sepsis.
After creating this “catalog” of mistakes, Rachel said the hospital staff had “unforgivably” tried to cover up her mistakes. They claimed Coco’s autism made them “uncooperative” and difficult to treat.
“We never got the full details of the condition and I want you to give some thought to how your sister Chelsea is feeling,” Rachel said during the investigation. “A doctor colleague [told] She doesn’t have to worry and her little sister is fine. All concerns and questions about sepsis and E-Coli [were] released – when she was actually dying. If we hadn’t insisted, and if Chelsea weren’t a medical professional, we’d never know the truth about what happened to Coco. We’re still waiting for the full truth, but I suspect that will never happen. “
At the time of this writing, the case is still being investigated in the Truro Coroner Court.
“Meeting Coco meant loving her. Her life with ours got better and better and she learned to communicate again, ”recalls Rachel. “A week before she got sick, I wrote about how happy she was. She was in such a good place and we finally felt like she was going to have the life she deserved and [she] went to mainstream school all day.
“If I could have sat in bed with her and died too, I would have done it. Coco was my absolute world, and living without it is almost too much to bear.
“Coco was a strong and healthy six and a half year old. The effect on our family has been so profound and divisive. Life will never be the same again. “
May Coco Rose rest in peace with all those who have died unnecessarily from medical missteps. We hope that justice can be done and that Coco’s story will act as a catalyst for change so that future deaths can be prevented.
