A family have been left devastated after their young daughter had her vital scoliosis surgery cancelled for a second time due to no hospital bed being available.
Eight-year-old Brianna Phelan, who lives with spina bifida and is from the Johnswell Road area of Kilkenny city, was one of three children earlier this month whose operations were cancelled at Children’s Health Ireland Temple Street Hospital due to the intricate procedure and the mounting pressure being heaped on the health system.
The young girl is one of three children who are on the urgent list for the surgery. No new date has been given for her surgery.
Speaking on KCLRfm radio station her mother Triona said the entire family was “ecstatic” when they received a new surgery for Brianna but the operation had to be cancelled again on Monday due to no Intensive Care Unit (ICU) bed being available.
For three years the Kilkenny girl has been on a waiting list for the vital procedure which would allow her to regain some physical independence.
Brianna’s mother revealed that she never ceases to be amazed at her young daughter’s resilience.
Speaking from Temple Street Hospital Triona said: “She is now being given a special wheelchair to fit into.”
“I don’t know how she does it either because I wouldn’t be able to go through it," she said.
Brianna’s mother Triona previously said that there will come a time when her daughter, who is constantly in pain, will not be able to have the surgery as her condition will have deteriorated too much.
The St Michael’s primary school in Danesfort, Co Kilkenny will now be on halo gravity traction which will gently bring her spine back into shape which she awaits her surgery.
Halo-gravity traction is a method of gently stretching and straightening a severely compressed or curved spine. The procedure is typically a first step in correcting severe scoliosis, kyphosis, and other spine deformities.
Children remain in the hospital the entire time they are in traction, typically three to eight weeks. After halo traction, children usually have spinal fusion surgery to permanently stabilise the spine.
“Our kids need surgery to be done but the staff are stretched to the limit. Earlier intervention is best. She’s now getting worse and worse and worse. She can’t even breathe properly,” added the Kilkenny mother.
“She has no movement in her legs and so her torso is the most important part of her body as it allows her to dress and do other things. Her independence is slowly slipping away from her.”
As of August 19, there have been 32 children on the waiting list for scoliosis surgery. There was additional funding made available by the HSE and Department of Health to prioritise the surgeries but the complex needs of their aftercare is the primary cause of the cancellations. More than 300 of such surgeries were completed this year.
The Children's Rights Alliance had called on Health Minister Stephen Donnelly to explain the reasons for the cancellation of operations on children with scoliosis.
In a statement Children’s Health Ireland previously said: "The cumulative impact of undertaking a greater volume of these complex surgeries in recent months has resulted in pressures on beds, theatre capacity and on the highly specialised staff working within the service."
READ NEXT:
- Ukrainian refugee girl, 8, fighting for life after being stabbed in Clare as mother found unconscious nearby
- Groom who ditched bride on day of their wedding finally speaks out
- Ireland house prices: The salary needed to buy a home in each county amid surprising new Daft data
- Gogglebox's Giles secret job that earns him lots of money after retiring at 21
- Rare Michael Schumacher health update offered by close pal who visits F1 legend three times a week
Get breaking news to your inbox by signing up to our newsletter
