‘Why would anyone put my beautiful son’s brain in a bin?’: Cork couple's heartbreak after death of baby Lee 

A CORK mother has questioned why her deceased baby’s brain was put in a bin, “as if it was a piece of rubbish”.

An investigation is now underway, after Cork couple Leona Bermingham and Glenn Callanan discovered that the brain of their baby son, Lee, was incinerated in Antwerp, unknown to them, RTÉ Investigates reported last night.

Lee died on September 18, 2019, hours after Leona had given birth to him and twin brother, Lewis, by emergency caesarean section.

According to RTÉ, an autopsy was held into his death. His parents later discovered that his brain had been sent to Antwerp for incineration.

On the programme last night, Leona said: “My son’s brain went into a bin, as if it was a piece of rubbish. You put rubbish in a bin: Why would you put my beautiful son’s brain into a bin?”

Leona’s and Glenn’s solicitor, Rachael Liston, said: “It is like a double trauma for the family: They have lost a baby in very sad circumstances and then to learn, subsequently, that their baby’s brain has been incinerated is so traumatic.

“There’s a big difference between burying or cremating an organ and incinerating it with clinical waste, which could include the likes of dressings or needles.”

Apology issued

An apology has now been made to Leona and Glenn, as well as to 17 other families whose children’s organs were also sent for incineration to Belgium.

The apology, from the South/South West Hospital Group, Cork University Hospital (CUH), and Cork University Maternity Hospital, came after the organs, instead of being buried or cremated (the latter options had been agreed by the parents prior to autopsies on their children’s remains), were incinerated.

The organs were stored in the morgue at Cork University Hospital, having been released by the pathology department following the autopsies.

According to internal correspondence, CUH mortuary staff became aware, early last year, that their burial plot in Curraghkippane’s St Mary’s Cemetery was full and the organs could not be buried.

The programme said the organs were sent for incineration in late March and early April last year because space had to be freed up at the morgue, given the possibility of increased deaths with the onset of Covid-19.

An incident report was sent to the Department of Health in mid-May last year, the programme reported.

The Department of Health told RTÉ Investigates that “the HSE will now confirm… that they are in compliance with the HSE’s standards… for post-mortem examinations 2012.”

Hospital statement

A statement issued on behalf of the South/South West Hospital Group said: “The South/South West Hospital Group, CUH, and CUMH have apologised to 18 families whose perinatal organs, that had been retained by the hospital, were sent for incineration instead of being buried or cremated, as had been agreed to by all of the parents prior to a post mortem. The group deeply regret that this distressing incident occurred and acknowledge that a serious error was made, and are truly sorry for the additional distress this has caused to grieving families.

“Hospital management became aware of the incident in late April 2020 and on May 11 and 12, 2020, all parents who were affected by the incident were ed and full disclosure took place. Recognising that it would be difficult for bereaved parents to be told about the incident, Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH) volunteered to take the lead role in openly disclosing the error and apologising to the parents.

“The of the CUMH bereavement and pregnancy-loss team has been, and remains, in place to provide ongoing , care, and , as required by the parents. This has been provided not only as a result of the incident, but also in acknowledgement of the impact of the delay in the review process.

“The incident is confined to perinatal organs, which were stored in the hospital mortuary between May 2019 and March 2020. The incineration occurred on two occasions, March 25 and April 2, 2020.

“In May 2020, Cork University Hospital also commissioned an external expert review of the incident. Disappointingly, there were significant delays in the review process, most notably in getting the appropriate external expertise that a review of this nature requires.

“However, the review did commence in late April this year and it is expected will be completed late October/early November. The review’s findings and recommendations will be shared with the families affected and then with the wider HSE.

“The review will establish the factual circumstances leading up to the incident. However, in order to provide some context, this action occurred when hospitals were preparing to significantly increase their mortuary capacity for mass fatalities, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In March 2020, it was widely reported that healthcare expert epidemiologists were predicting there could be between 80,000 and 100,000 deaths in Ireland from Covid-19.

“It is important to note that CUH have categorically established that all perinatal organs retained since April 2, 2020 have been buried and there is no possibility that this matter has affected other families, beyond those already identified.

“The South/South West Hospital Group and CUH deeply regret that this distressing incident occurred and acknowledge that a serious error was made, and are truly sorry for the additional distress this has caused to grieving families.

“Since becoming aware of the issue, all parents affected have been informed; the error has been acknowledged and a sincere apology has been offered.

“The parents have been, and will continue to be, offered ongoing , care, and .

“It is important to reiterate that this matter has affected no other families, beyond those that we have communicated with.”