A mum believes her four year old son who died from sepsis could still be alive if doctors hadn’t repeatedly turned him away.
Tragic Marcus Minhinett – who was born with a hole in the heart – died last month.
His heartbroken mum Krystie said she knew something was not right from the moment he was born but for several months doctors continually sent them home telling her there was nothing wrong with him.
His condition wasn’t detected until he was five months old – and just before he died doctors were considering surgery.
But Krystie, 31, of Tavistock, Devon, said they left it too late and when he caught sepsis his heart was too weak to fight the infection.
She said: “I was told nothing was wrong with him but I knew there was. He had a scan of his heart planned for February 28 and they were thinking of operating but they left it too late.
“He caught influenza and because his heart was weak, it could not handle it.
“If he had had surgery on his heart when he was two-years-old he could be here now.”
Eventually, after five months of persistence, Krystle was finally given a diagnosis and told he had a VSD, which is a restrictive perimembranous ventricular septal defect, meaning a hole in the heart.
The family were continuously taking visits to the doctors the mum explained, at the first sight of a “runny nose”.
It was a constant worry when Marcus caught a cold in case it went down onto his chest.
The family were often advised to give him Calpol and were reassured that it was nothing to worry about but this time that was not to be the case.
The family say they are not 100 per cent sure where he contracted the sepsis from.
Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body’s response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs.
Common signs and symptoms of sepsis include fever, increased heart rate, increased breathing rate, and confusion.
And Krytie, a home carer, said her son’s weak heart meant he was unable to fight the infection.
She added: “He couldn’t walk far so he would sit on my shoulder everyday.”
And the sudden loss of “smiley” and “bubbly” Marcus has had an effect on all the family.
Krystle said: “We have our bad days and we have better days but his six-year-old brother Max is distraught – he misses him dearly.”
The community has rallied together for Marcus and his family, giving donations to a Gofundme page to help the family pay for his unexpected funeral and a memorial for him. They have already smashed the £3.5k target.
Biker Escorts, made up of more than 60 riders, will be leading Marcus’ funeral procession from Tavistock’s Morrisons to his home and on to Weston Mill Cemetery and Crematorium on Wednesday, March 21 at 2pm.
John Carpenter, 47, met Marcus, a motor-bike lover when he and his Biker Escorts UK surprised him for his birthday last year.
The group let Marcus sit on their bikes and rev the engines.
John said: “He was such a lovely, bubbly lad, full of life, always had a smile on his face and never complained.
“We all felt we had a special bond with him after visiting him on his birthday.
“He was an absolute treasure and its such a shame that he’s been taken from his family so young.”
