A brother of the first haemophiliac who died of AIDS yesterday spoke about how his mother gave up on life after the death. He believed the death had also contributed to his younger brother's drugs overdose.
The young man told the seventh day of the haemophilia tribunal that the death of his second brother, who had previously attempted suicide three times, was a devastating blow. He felt so low that at one point he himself seriously contemplated taking his own life.
Using the pseudonym Garry, he said it was his belief, and his younger brother Cathal's belief, that the Blood Transfusion Service Board did not consider haemophiliacs as human beings but as guinea pigs.
"We believe somebody somewhere decided haemophiliacs were expendable people and did not spend the proper money to ensure their safety. I want to know who that person or people are," he said.
His older brother, Fintan, died in the 1980s. He was breathless playing football and when admitted to St James's Hospital, Dublin, he was found to have pneumonia and was in the first stages of developing full-blown AIDS.
Shortly before his death, there was a story on the front page of an evening newspaper stating that a haemophiliac was dying of AIDS at St James's Hospital. It contained many details about his brother, and the family was very distressed.
After his death, the hospital wanted to put his body in a plastic bag and have his coffin closed. His father objected. "I believe the gentlemen who took care of the body were given some financial remuneration in relation to the job," said Garry.
When his younger brother, Cathal, also a haemophiliac, who was diagnosed as having hepatitis C when he was aged 13, was in secondary school and started going out with a girl, the girl's teachers contacted her parents to say her boyfriend's older brother had died of AIDS. The girl's parents rang Cathal's father to find out if Cathal had any diseases.
Garry said his mother had previously been an alcoholic but was off drink when Fintan died. After his death she gave up on life, drank again, and died aged 49.
He said Cathal was depressed about having hepatitis C and attempted suicide a number of times. He was eventually found dead and the cause was a drugs overdose. Whether the overdose was on purpose or not he could not say.
The loss of Cathal was a terrible blow. "It came to a point where I most definitely did not want to continue," Garry said.
He felt his entire family had been let down by the healthcare system. "They directly killed my first brother, indirectly caused suffering and possibly the death of my second brother and made no attempt to say sorry or offer counselling or help over what has been a horrendous 13 or 14 years. I think they should have done so much more," he said.