A woman who was diagnosed with a rare syndrome in 2008 which rendered her aware and awake but unable to move or communicate has died.
Catherine O’Leary of Carrigaline was 32 years old when she developed locked in syndrome after she suffered a stroke during surgery to remove a brain tumour.
In a post on the Catherine O’Leary Facebook page her family confirmed that the mother of one had passed away on Monday morning.
They wrote: ‘It is with great sadness that our beloved Catherine passed away peacefully this morning, surrounded by family. She will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved her.’
Catherine spent time in a high dependency bed at Cork University Hospital (CUH) when she was first diagnosed before being flown to a rehabilitative facility in Putney in the UK for treatment.
She initially responded well to the rehabilitation treatment at the Royal Hospital for Disabilities in Putney.
However, in October 2008 she stopped breathing and lapsed into a deep coma.
Doctors told her family there was little or no hope for her.
However, she regained consciousness and was subsequently flown back to CUH.
Catherine was a patient at CUH for a further four years.
She spent a year and a half as a full-time resident in Farranlee House Community Nursing Unit in Cork before being brought home to Carrigaline in September 2014.
Catherine required 24 hour care, could only communicate by blinking and was fed through a tube.
In 2013 her father Pat and his family took the HSE to court on Catherine’s behalf, claiming a late brain tumour diagnosis in CUH was the reason for her condition.
The HSE denied these claims.
The O’Leary family was awarded a settlement of €2.5m following the High Court battle with the HSE.
Catherine was a former manager of a branch of Subway in Ballincollig, Co Cork.
Mr O’Leary told the Neil Prendeville Show on Cork’s Red FM that he and his wife Margaret always vowed that Catherine would not have to live her life in pain.
‘I was lucky that the palliative care came up to me and put a line in for me when she was so ill and they were telling me how to use the morphine. And I knew the moment she was going to be in a lot of stress and I administered the morphine. And it was like she said ‘thank you.’ And she just died in her arms.’
Catherine (49) died surrounded by her family members. Her brother Shane managed to fly in from New York last night. She is survived by her parents Pat and Margaret, her adult son Brandon and her four siblings.
Mr O’Leary said that his heart was broken for Catherine’s son Brandon who lives in Sydney in Australia. Brandon not only lost his mother today but his father passed away in December of last year.
He said that his daughter Jackie hopped in to bed next to Catherine and stayed with her for an hour.
He thanked Catherine’s carers, some of whom are from Brazil, for their fantastic care of his daughter.
He also expressed appreciation for the support of the public.
He described his daughter as a ‘fighter’ and cared for her until the end. Funeral arrangements will be finalised in the coming days.
