A GRIEVING dad last night blamed NHS bosses for his daughter’s death from a mystery illness — after she was left in constant agony for two years.
Graham Imrie, 54, told how his daughter Sha’ne endured crippling pelvic pain but medics were unable to pinpoint the problem.
That led to her being discharged more than 20 times from Monklands Hospital, Airdrie, despite suffering broken bones and catching Covid, MRSA and sepsis.
And 123 recommendations for her to see a gynaecologist were not acted on.
Sha’ne, of Cumbernauld, continued to suffer until earlier this year when, after her body shut down, her loved ones made the heart-rending decision to turn off her life-support machines. She was just 27.
Devastated Graham told The Scottish Sun on Sunday: “We never wanted any special treatment or to jump any queue.
“All she needed was to be treated with dignity and the right care.
“This is patient neglect — she never got the tests she needed. Sha’ne was treated like she was just a number.
“They robbed Sha’ne of her life, robbed us as parents, robbed her sister of her sibling, and robbed her wee girl of her mum.”
The dad told how the nightmare began in April 2022 when Sha’ne visited her GP complaining of pain around her pelvis.
At the time she was vomiting “almost constantly”. But the doc told her it was probably a urinary tract infection — and prescribed some antibiotics.
Within a day Sha’ne’s pain had become unbearable and she went to the A&E at nearby Monklands Hospital.
Graham recalled his daughter was treated and quickly discharged.
Yet even as he drove her home, Sha’ne was “in tears and screaming in pain” from what felt like a “hot knife” piercing her.
Days later she was back at A&E. This time she was admitted to a ward but the doctors there were still unable to find the source of her problem.
Graham claims that during her stay a nurse used the same syringe repeatedly to try to obtain blood — leading to her contracting a life-threatening MRSA infection.
During another visit she was attacked by a fellow patient, forcing others on the ward to shout for help.
“Sha’ne was treated like she was just a number.”
Graham Imrie
She was moved to another ward after her dad threatened to call the cops. But due to a lack of beds, she was left lying on a mattress on the floor for hours without being seen by a medic.
Every time Sha’ne went to hospital she had to leave her beloved nine-year-old daughter Maddison behind.
The mum was prescribed 43 different medications, including the high-strength painkillers morphine and tramadol plus sedative diazepam.
But she was discharged time after time without being told what she was suffering from. Doctors suspected she had severe endometriosis — an excruciating condition caused by tissue similar to the lining of the womb growing in other places, such as the ovaries and fallopian tubes.
But the medics’ theory was never confirmed. During her final two years Sha’ne was barely able to eat due to the intense pain and constant vomiting. Her weight plummeted.
The young mum was so frail that being sick or even coughing would cause bone fractures — including five in her lower back, cracks on her hip and a broken sternum.
She saw dozens of nurses and doctors, and scores of recommendations were made for her to receive gynaecological treatment. None of them were followed up on.
Sha’ne was also referred for a diagnostic laparoscopy — where a doctor uses a camera to look inside the body.
It was felt this may help get to the root of the problem. But the procedure was cancelled at least three times, including after she caught Covid on a ward.
“They robbed Sha’ne of her life, robbed us as parents, robbed her sister of her sibling, and robbed her wee girl of her mum.”
Graham Imrie
Graham added: “The last two years of Sha’ne’s life were nothing short of horrendous. She was in agony 24/7.
“She was deteriorating in front of our eyes and nobody seemed to want to do anything or take ownership. The hospital kept doing the same things. They were throwing medication at her in the hope that something would stick — then sending her home.
“I’ll never get the image out of my head of my daughter begging me and my wife to help her end her own life to stop the pain.”
Sha’ne developed sepsis twice but was routinely discharged without answers over what was causing her failing health. Her body eventually gave up and she was put on life support in her final days.
Graham, his wife Dalene, 53, and older daughter S’hanel, 33, then made the heartbreaking decision to turn off the machines.
And they mounted a vigil by her bedside while she clung to life for more than three hours before passing away.
Petition calls for inquiry into Sha’ne’s death
Sha’ne’s death certificate later listed the cause as pneumonia.
Friends of Sha’ne have launched a petition calling for an inquiry into her death.
Russell Coulthard, director of acute services at NHS Lanarkshire, said: “Our thoughts and sympathies remain with the family. Our team have responded to their concerns through correspondence and face-to-face meetings.
“We have also made the family aware that if they have outstanding concerns, they can refer these to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman.”
And now friends of Sha’ne have launched a petition calling for an inquiry into her death.
You can sign the petition here.
