Imagine being told your child is ‘fine,’ only for them to die hours later. This mother’s devastating account reveals the shocking truth behind a hospital’s critical errors and her daughter’s avoidable death. What would you do if your concerns were dismissed?

A mother’s anguished cries for help were tragically dismissed by medical professionals, leading to the heartbreaking death of her six-year-old daughter just hours after being discharged from the hospital. This devastating account highlights critical failures in patient care and the profound consequences of medical misdiagnosis, leaving a family shattered and demanding accountability from the healthcare system.

Shen’iyah Green, a vibrant six-year-old from Enfield, North London, was rushed to A&E on January 11, 2019, presenting with concerning symptoms that deeply troubled her mother, Shanieka. Despite Shanieka’s repeated and urgent flagging of her daughter’s underlying sickle cell disease, a crucial detail requiring specialist protocols, medics allegedly failed to properly assess her condition or acknowledge the severity of her symptoms.

Instead of receiving the specialized care her condition demanded, Shen’iyah was misdiagnosed. Shanieka, driven by an inherent maternal instinct that something was gravely wrong, pressed for further tests and a second opinion. However, she was reportedly assured by healthcare providers that her daughter was “fine” and subsequently discharged from the hospital, a decision that would prove fatal.

Less than three hours after leaving the hospital, a journey during which Shen’iyah fell asleep in the car, the unthinkable happened. She never woke up. Her mother’s frantic attempts at CPR and the subsequent efforts of paramedics and hospital staff to resuscitate the young girl were tragically unsuccessful, solidifying the family’s devastating belief that Shen’iyah was effectively “sent home to die.”

The profound grief and trauma have left Shanieka diagnosed with PTSD, yet she remains resolute in her fight for justice. She vehemently asserts that her daughter’s death was “wholly avoidable,” emphasizing that the critical errors in failing to follow sickle cell protocols directly contributed to Shen’iyah’s premature passing. Her voice, she argues, was not listened to when it mattered most, a poignant example of failures in patient advocacy.

Upon Shen’iyah’s return to the hospital after her collapse, Shanieka was confronted by the same triage nurse and doctor who had seen her earlier that day. This encounter fueled her anger and reinforced her conviction that her urgent concerns had been ignored, leading to an outcome no family should ever have to endure, underscoring the vital importance of healthcare safety.

A subsequent investigation by the North London Coroner’s Court identified three critical errors that directly contributed to Shen’iyah’s death: the failure to obtain a crucial blood sample, the inadequate documentation of the cause of her abdominal tenderness, and the decision not to admit her for proper observation and treatment. These findings lay bare the systemic flaws within the medical process that cost a young life.

Shanieka’s fervent hope is that no other family ever experiences such unbearable pain. She implores medical professionals to genuinely listen to families and take their fears and concerns for their children seriously. In response, the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust extended its “deepest condolences” and expressed profound sorrow for Shen’iyah’s death following her discharge, acknowledging the tragic outcome of this devastating hospital error.