An eight-year-old Irish boy died after becoming unwell while awaiting treatment for a broken arm, according to his family.
Matthew Breen, from Rathnew, County Wicklow, suffered a double fracture to his arm in an accident at school on November 6.
He was taken to hospital but discharged on the same day and booked in for surgery the following day.
His family says he seeemed ‘completely fine’ besides the injury on the day of the accident.
But he began to feel poorly after his mum brought him to Crumlin Children’s Hospital on November 7.
Matthew was ‘given tablets and steroids’ but was ‘vomiting all day’ and later starting having ‘trouble with his breathing’, a relative said.
The hospital discharged him after further treatment and made an appointment for him to see a lung specialist at Tallaght hospital on November 11.
But the evening before the appointment his breathing worsened and eventually stopped, prompting the family to call an ambulance.
Paramedics managed to resuscitate him and took him back to Crumlin Children’s Hospital where he was put in an induced coma and died a week later.
The family are currently raising money via GoFundMe to help Matthew’s family.
In a tribute the 8-year-old, who was the eldest of five siblings, was described as ‘the most loving little boy’ who was ‘loved by all who knew him’.
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