The devastated family of a 15-year-old boy who tragically died after being sent home from hospital have donated his organs to ensure his legacy lives on.
Treva Ashton, 15, from Mt Druitt in Sydney’s west, died from a brain infection on July 7 after being taken off life support.
Treva’s mother, Sharon Gauci, wrote on the family blog: GoFundMe‘In memory of my son, my partner and I have decided to donate his organs to needy families. We could save up to 10 children or more so that this tragedy does not seem insignificant to us.’
Ms Gauci told the Daily Mail Australia: “We donated both of his eyes, both kidneys, lungs, heart and pancreas,” she said.
“My baby died a hero.”
Treva’s parents say hospital staff and paramedics dismissed her symptoms as a stomach virus and the flu, and she died of a brain infection just days later.
Treva first went to the doctor with her mother on June 24 after feeling unwell for about three days.
The ninth-grader initially had a stuffy nose, but began to feel worse and vomited on the evening of June 23.
The family of 15-year-old Treva Ashton (pictured), from Mt Druitt in Sydney’s west, have donated her organs to ensure her legacy lives on.
Ms Gauci said her son was confused at his initial visit to his GP, which alarmed the doctor.
“Our doctor said ‘he shouldn’t be here’ and gave us a letter to take to the hospital, which said he needed to be checked out immediately because he ‘looked really bad’ and ‘confused,'” she said.
“His temperature was 40ºC and his heart rate and blood pressure were low.”
But later that day at Mt Druitt Hospital, the family said they waited for about an hour and a half, at which point they were told to take Treva home to rest and given two Panadol tablets.
The family says a triage nurse told them Treva “probably just has a stomach bug or the flu.”
“Her eyes were rolled back in her head and she didn’t know what was going on,” said Treva’s father, Darren Ashton.
A teenager who was supposedly dismissed by hospital staff and paramedics as having a stomach virus and the flu tragically died days later because his sinus infection had spread to his brain.
Ms Gauci said her son was not willing to wait any longer to see a doctor and nursing staff said he was fine despite his high temperature, so the family returned home.
But once they got home, Treva started vomiting.
Treva could barely eat and suffered from headaches throughout the night, so she was given Sudafed and Panadol.
The next day, the symptoms worsened further and Treva complained of loss of movement in one leg.
During the night, the family was woken by Treva’s screams and an ambulance was called to the house at 4.37am on June 26.
But when the ambulance arrived, Ms Gauchi says the paramedic was sceptical about the severity of the situation and suggested the teenager simply needed to drink plenty of fluids.
“But he was very pale. And I know my son. Something wasn’t right,” she said.
“You could see it in his eyes, he wouldn’t look at me. I told him there was something wrong with his brain.”
“And she (the paramedic) said: ‘No, when you have the flu you act like that.’”
When Treva’s parents pointed out that she had lost movement in one of her legs, the couple said the paramedic attributed the loss of feeling to numbness.
However, Treva’s condition worsened that day and night.
His family noticed that his head was swollen, his vomit contained blood and he had body aches.
Treva said she felt like her head was going to explode.
An ambulance was called at 9.10am on 27 June and arrived shortly afterwards.
This time, paramedics took the 15-year-old to Nepean Hospital, where he quickly became unresponsive.
Treva’s parents said they are still in shock and want answers about how their “cute” child was not a priority.
“I could hear the staff saying ‘we’re going to lose him, we’re going to lose him,'” his mother said.
Once the teenager was placed in an induced coma and connected to a respirator, medical staff administered him antibiotics to help clear the infection.
But Treva’s CT scan results showed she had fluid on her brain.
“They had to rush him into surgery to remove part of his skull so his brain could swell, as well as to drain the fluid and then put the skull back in place later,” Gauci said emotionally.
While he remained sedated in the ICU and on antibiotics, Treva’s surgeons had to perform another operation on July 1.
“They had to make a hole in his eyebrow to relieve the pressure and clear his sinuses,” MS Gauci said.
But after the sinus surgery, the pressure on Treva’s brain continued to increase and that same day, the 15-year-old was rushed into surgery, this time to have the other front part of his skull removed.
The family was told that part of Treva’s brain was dead, and the surgeon later 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 very sad,” Ashton said.
‘We also learned that between the first and second ambulance he suffered a stroke.
‘We were also told that between the first and second operations he suffered multiple strokes.’
The family has started a GoFundMe campaign to help cover expenses and has noticed that unauthorized fundraising campaigns have already been started in their son’s name.
In a statement provided to Daily Mail Australia, Western Sydney Local Health District and NSW Ambulance said they “extend their sincere condolences to the patient’s loved ones.”
‘A review is underway and the family will be kept informed as it progresses.’
“It is not appropriate to provide further comment at this time.”
Treva’s parents said they are still in shock at how quickly it all happened and want answers about how their “cute, handsome and funny” boy was treated.
“It could have been avoided. I want justice for my son,” Gauci said.
Treva’s parents said they have yet to receive an apology or explanation from paramedics or NSW Health, but they do not want to take any action until after the funeral.