Teen, 13, ‘died from obesity’ after mum kept bringing takeaways to hospital bed
During that hospital stay they were found to have a dilated cardiomyopathy, a blood clot, and a history of morbid obesity.
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A child died as a result of obesity when their mother apparently did nothing to help the situation.
The teenager, 13, identified only as Child F1 was even fed takeaways on their death bed by their mum who was accused of emotionally abusing them.
A newly-published review of the case in Manchester found that the mother failed to provide a PE kit and tried to prevent them from getting help for their weight. F1, who was described as ‘sunny and friendly’, enjoyed PE but asked teachers not to tell their mum about extra health and exercise classes. Instead she would feed the child with 2,000 calories of food before lunch including a high-calorie takeaway as a second breakfast.
When she was asked about the child’s weight, she told them that F1 was ‘lazy’ and described them as a doughnut. She would also miss appointments with healthcare professionals, leading to serious health issues. Eventually, the child was hospitalised in February 2015, but even there the mother was aggressive towards staff and emotionally abusive towards F1. During that hospital stay they were found to have a dilated cardiomyopathy, a blood clot, and a history of morbid obesity.
They returned home but several weeks later returned to intensive care where their health ‘deteriorated significantly’. Doctors could not carry out a heart transplant because of their weight, lack of fitness, and deteriorating condition. Child F1 died in April that year.
Professionals described feeling ‘paralysis’ about classing obesity as a signal of neglect or abuse but now they are being urged to have difficult conversations with parents following the teenager’s death. By the age of three F1 weighed 66lbs – more than double the average of children the same age and was in the 99.6th BMI centile, which is at the top end of the range. Doctors, the school nurse, a nutritionist and weight management service all raised concerns but they were found often not to be proactive in liaising with other authorities.
Many, a serious case review found, were unsure if their concerns would be taken seriously. Manchester safeguarding board chair Julia Stephens-Row said: ‘It’s an area where everybody has to have those difficult conversations. ‘It’s not an easy conversation to be talking to parents about their child’s weight and also potentially their own weight. It’s that family environment.
Metro UK
