Two years waiting for chance of normal life

A Tuam teenager’s two year wait for treatment for scoliosis may well have now compromised the benefits of any medical intervention…if and when it happens.

That’s according to Galway East Deputy Colm Keaveney, who has called on the Minister for Health Leo Varadkar to intervene and speed up surgery for fifteen year old Sophie O’Grady.

Sophie O’Grady

Since the Tuam teen was added to the surgical waiting list in March 2014, her condition has deteriorated – and the Fianna Fail TD claimed it was now feared that some of her internal organs may be compromised.

“The frankly unacceptable waiting times have taken an emotional toil on Sophie and her family,” he said.

“She had been a student with an excellent record, but is now no longer able to attend school. There is a significant fear that any further delay in delivering Sophie’s treatment will impact on the effectiveness of the intervention.

“Her need for treatment is now urgent and it is not acceptable that Minister Varadkar should seek to hide behind the HSE Governance Act,” he added.

Sophie O’Grady was diagnosed with an 80 degree curvature of her spine in February 2014 and was recommended for surgery because of the severity of the illness.

Sophie and her mother Linda Watts eventually felt they had no option other than to take their fight for treatment to the steps of the Dail last May.

But even that simple day trip from Galway to Dublin left Sophie bed-ridden for several days from exhaustion and pain.

Her mother Linda has revealed the effect the interminable delay as had on her daughter.

“The emotional impact of having scoliosis is  every bit as distressing and damaging as the physical effects. The change we have seen in Sophie in the past year has been dramatic. The confident, cheerful and bubbly teenager is now a withdrawn, introverted and despondent version of the girl she used to be,” she said.

“The old Sophie is still in there somewhere, weighed down by worries about having major surgery, about her education being jeopardised, about not being able to sleep properly, not being able to climb the stairs without feeling short of breath, and about how her clothes all look crooked on her. Waiting month after month for that phone call,” the mother of five added.

“Sophie’s case is only one of many cases affecting teenagers throughout the country. Sophie and her family took part in a protest outside the Dáil last May attempting to highlight the issue, but so far both the Department of Health and the HSE have failed to address the issue,” said Deputy Keaveney.

“When Fine Gael came into office, they set a target of six months for the maximum time someone would remain on a surgical waiting list.

“Their response to failing to reach this target has not been to provide greater resources or to reform the service, but instead simply to increase the targets to twelve and then to 18 months.

“Sophie is now waiting almost two years and so Minister Varadkar has failed to meet even his own widened targets.

“The Minister needs to intervene in this issue now or else detail why he is not willing to address this serious issue. Young people like Sophie have effectively had their lives put on hold at a critical moment in their development.

“This has come at a heavy cost to their mental and emotional health, alongside the potential long-term damage being done to their physical health,” he added.