A MOTHER who says her baby’s organs were retained by the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin for six years without consent has gone public with her story.
Breda Heary, from Millennium Court in Kilkenny city, said she now wanted to meet with consultants at the hospital.
“There are two consultants referred to as consultant A and consultant B in the documentation I received. I want to meet with these two . . . and get answers on what happened to the remains of my daughter,” she said.
Significant shortcomings in postmortem procedures at the hospital were uncovered last month in a report. It revealed organs in more than 100 cases had been retained without consent between 2000 and 2007. Master of the Rotunda Dr Sam Coulter-Smith apologised on behalf of the hospital and acknowledged the stress caused to the families.
Mrs Heary said she had a stillborn baby, Molly, in St Luke’s hospital in Kilkenny in December 2003 and agreed that an autopsy could be carried out at the Rotunda. She said the hospital wrote in 2004 to say that organs retained for further tests had been buried in consecrated ground, as requested by the family.
However, Mrs Heary said the hospital informed her last week that she was one of the parents whose baby’s organs were kept without their knowledge.
“I just couldn’t believe that they still had Molly’s organs . . . It is distressing and disturbing that Molly’s remains have been up in the hospital for almost six years and we knew nothing about it,” she said.
Mrs Heary said she learned last Friday that the hospital had retained the brain, spinal cord and left lung, as well as a large number of tissue samples.
A spokeswoman for the Rotunda said the hospital could not comment on any individual case.
“We can communicate with any patient directly or with anybody that they give us express written consent to communicate with,” the spokeswoman said.
Meanwhile, Mrs Heary said she was recovering from breast cancer, and was now deciding just how Molly’s remains should be buried.
“I am so disgusted. We have been through the grieving process and now we have to deal with it all over again. It is just so distressing.
“Molly may have been stillborn but she is still my child and you never forget your children, no matter whether they are born alive or dead.
“How this has been brushed under the carpet for six years is unreal. It doesn’t make sense, it is a disgrace.”