Rachael Bell, who believed her son’s death nearly 30 years ago may have been caused by contact with sewage at the beach, has finally received his medical records after a six-month wait. The 61-year-old, from Torrisholme, near Morecambe, had always blamed herself for the death of Matthew, who was just under four when he died in 1997.
Son's illness and death
Matthew initially suffered from diarrhoea and agonising stomach cramps, and soon became seriously ill. He was diagnosed with E. coli 0157, the most dangerous strain of the pathogen, and went on to develop haemolytic uraemic syndrome, a rare condition that can lead to kidney failure.
Matthew’s younger brother, Tom, also contracted the same illness but recovered. Matthew’s condition worsened, and he was transferred to Liverpool’s Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, where he went into a coma and was moved to intensive care. He died towards the end of October.
Investigation and blame
Rachael said the sadness was compounded by questions from a local authority environmental health officer sent to investigate the source of the E. coli. The officer asked about what the boys had eaten, where Rachael had shopped, and how she prepared food. “He was abrupt,” said Rachael, who used to work as a cook and a housekeeper. “He was saying ‘where do you keep your meat?’”
Rachael raised the fact that the boys had been to the beach near Blackpool not long before they became ill and had played in the sea and on the sand. “He said ‘no way it’ll survive is water’,” she recalled. However, evidence shows E. coli can survive for up to 91 days in water.
Rachael spent the decades since battling with the thought that Matthew’s death was her fault. “I have lived all my life thinking it was me to blame,” she said.
Documentary prompts action
That changed when she watched Channel 4’s factual drama 'Dirty Business' earlier this year, about the fight by campaigners to expose the scandal of raw sewage dumping by water firms. It also featured the true story of Heather Preen, the eight-year-old girl who died after contracting the same strain of E. coli while on a beach holiday with her family in 1999. Heather’s mum, Julie Maughan, believed exposure to sewage from a storm outflow may have been the source but criticised officials for their slow response.
In March this year, Rachael contacted Alder Hey Hospital to get a copy of Matthew’s medical records. Despite filling in forms four times, making phone calls and sending emails, she was still waiting. “I want justice for him, I think he deserves that,” she said. “The long wait has compounded the agony. It made it feel like his life wasn’t important.”
Alder Hey said in a statement: “We don’t comment on individual cases.” After being contacted by the Mirror, and following six months of waiting, Matthew’s medical records were finally sent. Rachael said she would now begin going through the documents, which run to more than 500 pages.
