Latest news with #KidsCan'tWait
The Irish Sun
26-05-2025
- Health
- The Irish Sun
Our brave boy Mikey is being left to deteriorate by State – he loves life and just wants to live but needs scoliosis op
THE parents of a teenager with scoliosis are pleading for help after his condition deteriorated so much he requires help to breathe. Mikey Henry Benson, from Advertisement 5 Mikey uses his iPad to communicate Credit: Collect 5 His parents have told how he has been failed by the state Credit: Collect 5 The teen now requires oxygen due to pressure on his lungs Credit: Collect In 2022, at age 14, he was also diagnosed with That condition has gotten worse over the past three years to the point that it has damaged his lungs and left him struggling to breathe on his own. Mum Penny and dad Michael believe their son's scoliosis was not appropriately monitored as his curve continued to get worse, to the point where doctors now deem him a high risk for An x-ray back in 2023 showed he had a curve of over 100 degrees and would require attention — but the family were given no date for a surgery or treatment. Advertisement READ MORE IN NEWS Last year, Mikey presented at his local hospital in Mayo with difficulty breathing and was taken to Crumlin hospital in However, the family were left devastated when the pre-op tests showed the scoliosis curve had progressed so much that it was now damaging his lungs — making it dangerous to put him under for surgery. Instead, Mikey was told that he would now require the assistance of oxygen every day and a bipap machine at night. Penny said: 'Mikey was just left to deteriorate. We feel like he was not monitored and now nobody is willing to do the surgery because he is in a high risk category to operate. Advertisement MOST READ ON THE IRISH SUN Latest 'He's on oxygen now every day and the bipap at night, and he will remain on them for the rest of his life, we're told. Heartbreaking footage of Harvey Sherratt in pain amid scoliosis surgery wait hell 'It's been difficult because it is on top of everything else, and we feel, if his scoliosis had been addressed, it wouldn't have happened.' The Irish Sun's Mikey's family first contacted The Irish Sun last summer following the heart-breaking pre-op scan results. Advertisement Penny and Michael were reluctant to go public with their story at the time and instead took their fight for care to the Dail. In recent months, they met with local politicians, including The family feel that Mikey is being left in limbo by the health service, with three appointments cancelled so far this year due to unforeseen circumstances, according to Penny. Mikey's devastated parents now want their son to be sent to Great Ormond Street Hospital in Advertisement SCOLIOSIS CRISIS THE Irish Sun's 'Kids Can't Wait' campaign shines a spotlight on the crisis facing children in Ireland waiting for scoliosis treatment. Scoliosis has become a national scandal within the Irish health system, with hundreds of children waiting months or even years for vital surgeries. The campaign raises the voices of families who feel abandoned by the HSE and politicians, often forced to go public with heartbreaking stories in the hopes of getting help. Many children like Mikey are left deteriorating while appointments are cancelled or care is deferred. 'Kids Can't Wait' is more than a slogan — it's a demand for dignity and systemic change. Michael told The Irish Sun: 'We are Mikey's voice and I do know that he wants to live so bad. 'I think his wish would be just to live. He just loves life and he wants help and he wants someone to help him. "Even though he hates hospitals, he is always accepting of help and he's so strong. "Any time he has had to go into hospital he adapted to it so well. He knows he needs help to stay alive and now he needs that help.' Advertisement Former Health Minister More than a dozen children have been sent overseas for their operations through this pathway and Michael and Penny hope this can be used to get Mikey to London. Penny said: 'He needs a full independent assessment in Great Ormond Street. Advertisement 'NO OTHER PLAN' "The Department of Health and CHI are sending children over for surgery — so Mikey should be able to use that. 'The doctors here said they won't operate on Mikey and we have no other plan. 'Now he's 17, they are in the process of transferring him to adult services, and that is so frustrating to feel like we are being shipped from A to B.' Mikey uses a wheelchair and is non-verbal, but communicates with his family and friends through the use of an iPad. Advertisement He loves going to school at St Dymphna's in Ballina, where he thrives at maths and English. Michael said: 'He is getting on brilliant. Only for that school, I don't know. I tell you, he loves school. "He loves his buddies and the teachers and helpers.' A CHI spokesperson said they cannot comment on individual patients. Advertisement They added: 'Even if a family decides to make their story public, we are still bound by patient confidentiality.' 5 Doctors will not operate on Mikey Credit: Collect 5 Stephen Donnelly launched a campaign sending kids for ops abroad last year Credit: rian Lawless/PA Wire
The Irish Sun
16-05-2025
- Health
- The Irish Sun
The State investing so much money fighting us is a disgrace, rages dad of autistic girl, 6, facing assessment wait hell
AN AUTISTIC girl has been pushed to the back of the waiting queue as the six-year-old awaits another assessment of need for ADHD. Grace Fogarty has already had an assessment of need carried out for autism, but is now on another lengthy waiting list. Advertisement 2 Grace Fogarty is facing a long delay for an assessment of need for ADHD It comes as Opposition in the There are currently 15,296 children on waiting lists longer than this six-month period. It's also been reported that the Government has spent €8 million defending legal actions by frustrated parents. Grace's exhausted dad John described it as a 'national disgrace' and 'up there with housing as the biggest crisis in the country'. Advertisement Read more in Health He told 'We had a High 'It's been kicked down the road a couple of times now. We were successful with our case and just waiting to hear from the Complaints Officer regarding what order they're going to put on the 'To complicate matters even more we've had to apply for an assessment for ADHD. We had our suspicions that Grace was showing symptoms for ADHD. We are in that 15,000 because we applied last autumn. Advertisement Most read in Health 'It's not something that's added on. This is considered something that's fresh and has to be looked at like that. Grace is on yet another waiting list for that.' According to the HSE: "The assessment of need is to identify whether a person has a disability, the nature and extent of that disability and any health and educational needs that arise from it. 'An assessment of need is not needed to access health services. Advertisement "The number of people in need of assessment of need is growing as demand outstrips system capacity.' Our Kids Can't Wait Campaign WAITING lists in Ireland have long been a national disgrace. More than 106,000 children are on hospital waiting lists for all treatments. However, a new source of shame has emerged as 327 children wait for life changing spinal surgeries. Their conditions are getting worse while they languish on waiting lists. Such are the delays, many child patients will be outside the therapeutic window when their treatments are approved. Earlier this month, the Seanad heard how at least one child has become permanently paralysed since the issue was raised publicly before Christmas. Their plight has been spearheaded by campaigning Senator Tom Clonan, who himself has a child with a disability. Former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has even admitted that the health service is failing these kids. Children are being allowed to deteriorate due to mismanagement, which has allowed the waiting lists to grow. The Irish Sun's Kids Can't Wait campaign aims to shine a light on how the State is failing sick children and give their families a voice. It will also force the Government to do something to clear the backlog of operations and give these children a chance of living a normal life. 2 Grace's dad John described the waiting list situation as a disgrace
The Irish Sun
13-05-2025
- Health
- The Irish Sun
‘The implications are disturbing', Martin says when grilled in Dail on claims made about unnecessary child hip surgeries
TAOISEACH Micheal Martin has said there are 'disturbing' implications if some of the claims made about unnecessary child hip surgeries are true. An 1 Mr Martin said that the possible implications of the report are 'disturbing' Credit: Niall Carson/PA Wire The audit was carried out after The Taoiseach told the Dail that the audit was at 'an advanced stage' and warned against worrying parents through a 'drip feed' of information. Sinn Fein leader 'We've been raising it with you, conscious of all of those parents who are now asking themselves, was my child operated on (unnecessarily)? How could this have happened and what are the consequences now?' Read more in News She accused the Government and Children's Health Ireland of having 'stonewalled' parents. Taoiseach He said he was conscious of the 'anxiety and concern' from parents as surgery for a child is traumatic for that family. But he said that 'bits of information here and there' would only add to parents' worry. Most read in Irish News He added: 'Anything we do in here must be done with that in mind, that we're very conscious of anxiety that can be added to or created by anything we say, or by piecemeal information or by drip feed, in respect of this issue. 'To me, an experience tells me that when you ask someone to do an external audit, independently of politicians and of government, just let them finish their work.' 'DISTURBING' Asked again about the issue by Aontu leader Peadar Toibin, Mr Martin said that the possible implications of the report are 'disturbing'. 'The implications are disturbing, if indeed some of the assertions come home to be the case, or emerge to be truthful. 'I think there are issues already, as I outlined in an earlier reply, changes to practice and protocols has occurred in terms of multidisciplinary approach, in terms of pre-operative assessment, and that clearly wasn't there, it seems, in advance of this.' Our Kids Can't Wait Campaign WAITING lists in Ireland have long been a national disgrace. More than 106,000 children are on hospital waiting lists for all treatments. However, a new source of shame has emerged as 327 children wait for life changing spinal surgeries. Their conditions are getting worse while they languish on waiting lists. Such are the delays, many child patients will be outside the therapeutic window when their treatments are approved. Earlier this month, the Seanad heard how at least one child has become permanently paralysed since the issue was raised publicly before Christmas. Their plight has been spearheaded by campaigning Senator Tom Clonan, who himself has a child with a disability. Former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has even admitted that the health service is failing these kids. Children are being allowed to deteriorate due to mismanagement, which has allowed the waiting lists to grow. The Irish Sun's Kids Can't Wait campaign aims to shine a light on how the State is failing sick children and give their families a voice. It will also force the Government to do something to clear the backlog of operations and give these children a chance of living a normal life.
