Cillian’s heartbroken family vow to pursue answers
Cillian Gorman's parents Declan and Deirdre and his brother Fionn at last week's inquest into 14-year-old Cillian's death
A TULLOW family have insisted that an inquest into the death of their beloved son last week “is not the end for us” and have spoken of their determination to go further in their search for answers.
“We feel let down and I suppose totally surprised at what the hospital came up with,” heartbroken mother Deirdre Gorman told , following last Tuesday’s inquest into the death of her 14-year-old son Cillian at Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin.
“We have many, many questions that we haven’t received answers for … questions that just haven’t even been addressed,” she added.
“How could it go from a doctor telling us that ‘he has a little bit of colitis active in the bowel and after a few days of steroids he’ll be a new boy’ to him dying that night?” asked Deirdre.
A sitting of Dublin District Coroner’s Court heard doctors at Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin admit they remain baffled how Cillian Gorman from Hawthorn Drive, Tullow acquired what was described as a “vanishingly rare” blood clotting condition in a sudden and catastrophic manner.
Cillian was admitted to the hospital on 14 March 2021 and underwent an endoscopy on his upper and lower gastrointestinal tract and a liver biopsy the same day. Last Tuesday’s inquest heard Cillian’s condition deteriorated and he became unresponsive a few hours later while recovering from the surgery, before he was confirmed to have suffered brain stem death on 20 March 2021.
At the inquest Cillian’s parents Declan and Deirdre, the eldest of Cillian’s three brothers Fionn and a number of his extended family sat through the harrowing account of Cillian’s final hours. The Gorman family say many of the answers they were looking for failed to be addressed, while for the first time since their son’s death, Declan and Deirdre heard the medics’ finding that Cillian had thrombotic microangiopathy.
This was described as a rare but serious disease, otherwise known as TMA, which damages small blood vessels resulting in clots. The inquest heard that Cillian’s case was one they had never come across in Dublin before.
“That was the first time we heard that … yes, at the inquest,” said Deirdre.
She confirmed that that in a meeting with the hospital into Cillian’s death in June 2021, the hospital’s conclusion that he had thrombotic microangiopathy was not discussed.
Recalling the day Cillian was admitted to hospital, Deidre said: “I have a very, very good recollection of absolutely everything that happened that day, from the minute we walked into Crumlin. It’s not a day I’ll ever forget – I relive it every single day.
“I never left Cillian’s side, not even to go to the toilet or even for a bite to eat, and Declan was with him the night before. He had a parent with him all the time.”
Deirdre recalled how Cillian was delayed coming out of recovery following the procedures, a delay which has never been explained, while a number of key medical staff, central to Cillian’s care on the day were not present at the inquest to answer questions.
“Cillian had all the signs there was something seriously wrong. I addressed the nurses four times with concerns – Cillian had vomited blood, he had headache and neck ache, low blood pressure, diarrhoea and was so lethargic,” said Deirdre.
“This is not the end for us, we are going further. Even from the hospital’s point of view, if this is so rare, wouldn’t they want answers, too? I wouldn’t want to see any other parents or family to go through this.
“Our family is very close and Cillian was absolutely loved by everyone. People were drawn to him … such a funny, smiley and intelligent chap. It’s a gap in our family that cannot be filled. This isn’t good enough. Our son had the start of Crohn’s, he wasn’t meant to die,” said Deirdre.
The loss of Cillian still aches for the Gorman family every single day, and not just for his parents and siblings but his relatives, cousins and many friends.
“His loss has affected our whole family. We have changed because of this … no matter where we are or what we are doing, there is always sadness attached to it. Every time you come home, he’s not there. You couldn’t let this go, we just couldn’t,” said Deirdre.
