5-year-old boy dies after 'sepsis misdiagnosed as diabetes'

A UK couple are raising money for legal representation following the death of their five-year-old son, who was given an overdose of insulin after being misdiagnosed with diabetes last year.

After their son Shay's death in April 2018, Martyn and Laura Turner were informed he did not have the condition, and was likely to have suffered sepsis instead.

An inquest into the incident is scheduled for October this year, with the South Yorkshire parents seeking answers as to how their son's treatment and death unfolded.

The Turners had rushed Shay to hospital in Rotherham on 30 March, after he suddenly became ill with abdominal pain, vomiting, lethargy and an inability to pass waste.

According to a crowdfunding page set up by the parents and their nanny, the little boy was diagnosed with diabetic ketoacidosis and treated with insulin.

It is claimed that due to an error in prescribing the insulin, Shay was administered 10 times the standard dose of the substance over a two-hour period, which caused his condition to deteriorate.

Shay eventually became unresponsive and was transferred to Sheffield Children's Hospital in a critical condition.

Despite undergoing emergency surgery, including a total colostomy, the boy's organs began to fail and a scan showed he suffered a "catastrophic" brain injury.

On April 3, the Turners, who also have a nine-year-old son, made the decision to turn off their youngest child's life support.

"Shay sadly passed away at 11.24 am ... in the arms of his heartbroken mummy and daddy," the page reads.

However, the couple soon learned their "beautiful little boy" did not have diabetes, as determined by a coroner's report.

According to Metro, Shay's autopsy said he died of organ failure from an unknown cause, suggesting the possibility of a rare condition that caused sepsis.

"We are desperately seeking answers as to how our usually very fit and well, full of life and extremely beautiful little boy come to lose his life and how such mistakes were possibly made in his care," the crowdfunding page states.

"We also don't want another family to endure the pain and anguish that we have."

Speaking to Metro, Shay's mum Laura says there are particular concerns about her son's treatment that she and her husband hope the upcoming inquest will address.

"There are two major failings that we need answers to – the overdose of insulin and what effect that had on him and the missed sepsis," she explains.

Images: Crowd Justice/Just Giving