Girl's transplant hopes dashed by airlift failure

THE FATHER of a 14-year-old girl whose planned liver transplant in London was cancelled because of a failure to airlift her to the hospital in time last night said the family was seeking an explanation.

Joe McGivern, father of Maedhbh, said: “I don’t do blame . . .” But he said “we certainly would like someone to tell us what happened.”

He said he wouldn’t like to see anyone else go through “what we’ve been through this past 12 hours or so.” What if it had been a life-and-death situation? he asked “What if someone died because of a cock-up?”

His wife Assumpta said their daughter Maedhbh (14) was “extremely, dangerously ill”. She “has been at school just two weeks this year” and is on high dosages of medication and painkillers. The McGiverns have two children, Maedhbh and 16-year-old Ciara.

Last August, Maedhbh was placed on a priority list for a liver transplant by the relevant medical team at King’s College Hospital in London. “Eight, nine weeks ago that was upgraded to highest priority, whether adult or paediatric,” Mr McGivern said yesterday.

Maedhbh “has had liver trouble for years but she’s a real little fighter”, he said. They were “distraught” over the disappointment of Saturday night, Mrs McGivern said. They had been contacted on Saturday evening to say “a non-beating heart” donor had become available at the London hospital and were told transport was being organised.

Later they got a call to say no Aer Corps helicopters were available as one had taken President Mary McAleese and her husband Martin to the Prince Albert wedding in Monaco and the other was on an emergency trip in Kerry.

The family were told a Coast Guard helicopter was not available because of a technical fault and that there were no commercial helicopters available because of Wimbledon.

“We kept our fingers crossed”, said Mr McGivern. “We’re always ready to go. Passports, everything ready.”

At about 9.55 on Saturday night they got a call to go to Strandhill airport where a Coast Guard helicopter was waiting to take Maedhbh to London. Accompanied by a Garda escort they got to Strandhill at about 11.30pm.

There they got a phone call to say they had to be at Kings College Hospital by 2am at the latest, to ensure the donor liver was still viable.

In discussion with the Coast Guard crew, it emerged the helicopter would have to stop for refuelling at Waterford and again in England before arriving at Heathrow at about 3.30am. From there, they would still have to get to the hospital. It was clear they would not make it.

They told London. The consultant at Kings College told them he could have organised the RAF to fly Maedhbh over had be known earlier.

The Coast Guard crew told them they had been free from 6pm and could even have flown to Ballinamore itself to pick up Maedhbh.

Dejected, the McGivern family returned home to wait again.