The family of a 15-year-old boy who tragically died after being sent home from hospital have donated his organs so that his legacy will live on.
Treva Ashton, 15, from Mt Druitt in Sydney’s west, died on July 7 from a brain infection after his life support system was switched off.
Treva’s mother Sharon Gauci wrote about the family GoFundMe: ‘In memory of my son, my partner and I have decided to donate his organs to needy families. We could save about 10 children, so this tragedy does not seem insignificant to us.’
Ms Gauci told Daily Mail Australia: “We donated both eyes, both kidneys, lungs, heart and pancreas,” she said.
“My baby died a hero.”
Treva’s parents claim that hospital staff and paramedics dismissed his symptoms as a stomach virus and the flu, and that he died several days later from a brain infection.
Treva went to the doctor for the first time with his mother on June 24, after feeling unwell for about three days.
The ninth-grader initially suffered from a stuffy nose, but on the night of June 23, he began to feel increasingly worse and had to vomit.
The family of Treva Ashton (pictured), 15, from Mt Druitt in Sydney’s west, have donated his organs so his legacy will live on
Mrs Gauci said her son was confused during their first visit to the GP, which worried the doctor.
“Our doctor said he shouldn’t be here” and gave us a letter to take to the hospital, saying he needed to be checked out immediately because he looked “very sick” and “confused,” she said.
‘His temperature was 40 degrees Celsius and he had a low heart rate and low blood pressure.’
But later that day the family waited at Mt Druitt Hospital for about an hour and a half before being told to take Treva home to rest and given two Panadol tablets.
The family claims a triage nurse told them Treva “probably just has a stomach bug or the flu.”
“His eyes were rolling back and he didn’t know what was happening,” said Treva’s father Darren Ashton.
A teenage boy, who was dismissed by hospital staff and paramedics as having a stomach virus and the flu, tragically died days later after his sinus infection spread to his brain
Mrs Gauci said her son did not want to wait any longer to see a doctor. The nurses said he was fine despite his high fever, so the family went home.
But once they got home, Treva started vomiting.
Treva could barely eat and had a headache all night. She was given Sudafed and Panadol.
The next day the symptoms worsened even more. Treva complained of loss of movement in one leg.
During the night the family woke up to Treva’s screams and on June 26 at 4:37 am an ambulance was called to the house.
But when the ambulance arrived, Ms Gauchi claimed the paramedic was sceptical about the seriousness of the situation and simply told the teenager to drink plenty of fluids.
“But he was very white in the face. And I know my boy. Something wasn’t right,” she said.
“You could see it in his eyes, he wasn’t looking at you. I said there was something wrong with his brain.”
“And she (the health care worker) said, ‘No, when you have the flu, this is how you act.’”
When Treva’s parents pointed out that he had lost movement in one of his legs, the couple said the care provider attributed the loss of feeling to numbness.
However, that day and night Treva’s condition deteriorated.
His family noticed that his head was swollen, his vomit contained blood, and he was experiencing body aches.
Treva said he felt like his head was “going to explode.”
On June 27, at 9:10 a.m., an ambulance was called and arrived shortly afterwards.
This time, emergency workers rushed the 15-year-old to Nepean Hospital, where he soon became unresponsive.
Treva’s parents said they are still in shock and want answers as to why their ‘cuddly’ boy wasn’t a priority
“I could hear the staff saying, ‘We’re going to lose him, we’re going to lose him,’” his mother said.
After the teenager was placed in an induced coma and on a ventilator, medical staff administered antibiotics to kill the infection.
But Treva’s CT scan showed he had fluid on his brain.
“They had to do emergency surgery to remove part of his skull so his brain could swell, drain the fluid and put the skull back in later,” an emotional Ms Gauci said.
Treva remained in intensive care under anesthesia and was given antibiotics. On July 1, her surgeons had to operate on her again.
“They had to drill a hole in his eyebrow to relieve the pressure and clear his sinuses,” said MS Gauci.
But after the sinus surgery, the pressure on Treva’s brain continued to increase and that same day, the 15-year-old was rushed back to the operating room, this time to remove the other front part of his skull.
The family was told that part of Treva’s brain was dead, at which point the surgeon delivered the tragic news that their son would not recover.
“The surgeon said ‘there was nothing we could do’. The nurses were crying because they don’t normally treat children. Everyone was so upset,” Mr Ashton said.
‘We also found out that he had had a stroke between the first and second ambulance.
“We were also told that he had suffered multiple strokes between the first and second surgeries.”
The family started a GoFundMe campaign to cover the costs and discovered that unauthorized fundraisers had already been started in their son’s name.
In a statement to Daily Mail Australia, Western Sydney Local Health District and NSW Ambulance said they “extend their sincere condolences to the patient’s family”.
‘An evaluation is currently taking place and the family is being kept informed of progress.’
“It is not appropriate to comment further at this time.”
Treva’s parents say they are still in shock at how quickly everything happened and would like more information about how their “cuddly, handsome, funny” boy was treated.
“It could have been prevented. I want justice for my boy,” Ms Gauci said.
Treva’s parents said they have not yet received an apology or explanation from emergency services or NSW Health, but they do not want to take any action until after the funeral.