Greenock charity worker dies after being ‘sent home from casualty three times with pain in her feet’
Shannon Malone Strang, 23, suffered agony and numbness for months but her family claim her concerns were not taken seriously by medics
A CHARITY worker died after being sent home from casualty three times with pain in her feet, her grieving family said.
Shannon Malone Strang, 23, suffered agony and numbness for months but relatives claim her concerns were not taken seriously by medics.
She was finally admitted to hospital for surgery after her mystery condition worsened but passed away in intensive care a week later.
Shattered gran Ray Strang, 72, said: “Shannon was in so much pain but no one believed her.
“One of the nurses in A&E even told her she was there so often she should get a season ticket.
“Then just days later she was dead. It was such a shock.
“We’re all devastated.
"Shannon was such a lovely lassie and had a beautiful smile.”
Ray, of Greenock, had cared for her grandchild since she was a tot and became her next of kin after both her parents died in separate incidents two years ago.
She told how worried Shannon complained of sore feet for almost three months before her death.
She went to A&E at the town’s Inverclyde Royal three times but was not admitted until June 29 after her condition deteriorated leaving her barely able to walk.
Ray revealed: “Shannon was in terrible pain and described it as like walking on sandpaper. She flinched when her GP examined her stomach, so he arranged an ultrasound scan.
“It showed she had gallstones and had been very sick.
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“It took three of us to help her into casualty, then she collapsed.”
Shannon underwent a gallbladder operation that day and appeared to be recovering until she suffered a seizure two days later.
She was violently sick, then caught pneumonia. She was able to speak to her gran the next day but within hours was fighting for life. She passed away on July 6.
Ray said: “At first they thought she had scabies, then scarlet fever, then glandular fever and septicaemia.
“The doctor had told me Shannon was stabilised and he was happy with her — that she had a strong heart and had age in her favour.
“Never in a million years did I think she wouldn’t come back.”
Specialists now believe she may have been suffering from Guillain–Barré syndrome, a rare ato-immune disease which damages the nervous system, causing muscle weakness and pain.
As her family wait for postmortem results, distraught Ray added: “I thought it would have been me who died before anyone else. I wish it had been me.”
Kind-hearted Shannon volunteered in charity shops run by the British Heart Foundation and Cancer Research in nearby Port Glasgow.
She had been due to be bridesmaid for close pal Stephanie O’Donnell’s wedding in four weeks.
Last night the distraught bride-to- be, 28, said: “I’m broken. I wanted to cancel the wedding.
“Shannon was beautiful and caring and always had a big smile on her face.
"We need answers for her — to know what happened to her.”
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde chiefs offered their condolences to Shannon’s loved ones.
A spokesman said: “As is normal practice following an unexpected death, we are reviewing this patient’s care.
"Our staff will be in touch with her family to discuss this further.”
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