A mum was left devastated when her six-month-old daughter died one day after she claimed doctors told her that her sickness was due to a stomach bug.
Carly Goya took her daughter Mabel to hospital when she became 'really unwell'.
The mum from Brisbane, Australia said that, back in September 2021, her daughter had woken up in the middle of the night and started vomiting.
“She was really unwell and was vomiting and had a fever,” Goya told 7News.
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“The next day she still wasn’t great and we were tossing up going to the hospital or not.”
But when Mabel continued vomiting, the family then rushed her to the emergency department, where they were fast-tracked.
“She still wasn’t keeping anything down and she still had a fever,” Carly said.
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“So they assumed she had either UTI or gastro.”
Mabel was kept in hospital overnight and tested for a UTI, the mum said.
She remembers how ‘incredibly unsettled’ her daughter was - even though, on screen, her observations were normal.
“We were in a position where you think you’re in the best possible place for her ... you think they know what they’re doing,” she said.
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“But nothing was escalated.”
The next morning, Carly’s husband, who was home looking after their other daughter, came into the hospital to be with Mabel so Carly could go home and shower.
However, Mabel’s condition deteriorated in just a few short hours.
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“She finally went to sleep in my husband’s arms sitting in a hospital chair,” Carly said.
“But from that moment she never opened her eyes again.
"It all happened so fast.
“You just think of course she’s going to get better because this can’t happen.”
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According to Carly, doctors later discovered that Mabel had developed meningitis, swelling and infection on the brain after contracting a strain of pneumococcal that wasn’t covered by current vaccinations.
Mabel was suffering from vasculitis, which constricts blood flow to the brain.
Her breathing tubes were removed and she went on to breathe on her own for 15 hours before she passed away.
Carly says that the hospital underwent a five-month review into Mabel's care - which resulted in a 40-page report and a two hour meeting.
A Children’s Health Queensland spokesperson told 7News that the investigation didn't find any core failings in the care provided by the hospital and it is 'implementing all recommendations from the investigation'.
They said: "Children’s Health Queensland acknowledges the impact of Mabel’s death on her family and continues to extend our deepest condolences.
"Every day, our dedicated teams work tirelessly to provide young patients with the best possible outcomes and are significantly impacted by the death of a child in their care.
“We take the sudden and unexpected death of a child extremely seriously and share a family’s need for answers when this occurs.
“We worked closely with Mabel’s family to thoroughly investigate each step of the care she received and shared the findings and recommendations with them."
Tyla has contacted Children’s Health Queensland for further comment.
The Mabel Olivie Airi Foundation was established to honour Mabel’s life.
“Telling her story won’t bring her back, but if it can help this from happening to another family, I will tell her story over and over,” Carly said.
Gregory Robinson