Rachael Bell, 61, from Torrisholme near Morecambe, has finally received the medical records of her son Matthew, who died in 1997 at the age of four from E.coli 0157. The documents, running to more than 500 pages, were sent after a six-month wait and following contact from the Mirror.
Matthew initially suffered from diarrhoea and agonising stomach cramps before becoming seriously ill. He was diagnosed with E.coli 0157, the most dangerous strain of the pathogen, and later developed haemolytic uraemic syndrome, a rare condition that can lead to kidney failure. His younger brother Tom also contracted the illness but made a full recovery. Matthew's condition worsened, and he was moved to Alder Hey Children's Hospital, where he went into a coma and was moved to intensive care. He died towards the end of October.
Mother's Long-Held Guilt
Rachael said she had spent decades believing Matthew's death was her fault. "I have lived all my life thinking it was me to blame," she said. The unbearable sadness was made worse by questions from a local authority environmental health officer sent to investigate the source of the E.coli. He asked about what the boys had eaten, where Rachael had shopped, and how she prepared food. "He was abrupt," added Rachael, who previously worked as a cook and a housekeeper. "He was saying 'where do you keep your meat?'"
She told him the boys had been to the beach at Blackpool shortly before they became ill and had played in the sea and on the sand. "He said 'no way it'll survive in water'," Rachael recalls. However, that turned out to be untrue, with evidence that E.coli can survive for up to 91 days in water.
Channel 4 Drama Sparks New Hope
Rachael's perspective changed after watching Channel 4's factual drama 'Dirty Business', about the fight by campaigners to expose the scandal of raw sewage dumping by water firms. The programme also featured the true story of eight-year-old Heather Preen, who died after contracting the same strain of E.coli while on a beach holiday in 1999. Her mother, Julie Maughan, believed Heather's exposure to sewage from a storm outflow may have been the source but criticised officials for their slow response.
In March, Rachael contacted Alder Hey to obtain a copy of Matthew's medical records. She filled in forms four times, made multiple phone calls and sent several emails but was still left waiting. "I want justice for him, I think he deserves that," Rachael says. "The long wait has compounded the agony. It made it feel like his life wasn't important."
Records Finally Released
In a statement, Alder Hey said: "We don't comment on individual cases." However, following six months of waiting, and after being contacted by the Mirror, Matthew's medical records have finally been sent. Rachael said she would now begin going through the documents.
