Cassian was born on April 3rd 2021, arriving prematurely at 28 weeks. He was our miracle light after years of heartbreak, loss, and 6 IVF treatments. He was indescribably precious.
But that miracle was taken from us. On April 5th 2021, just 2 days after his birth, a clinical oversight cost Cassian his life.
The night before his death, we held our son. We cuddled him and spent what would be our final moments together, holding him close and whispering words of love into his tiny ears. I left the hospital
around 10pm, never imagining that just hours later, I would be called back in the middle of the night.
At 2:30 am, the hospital rang, asking me to come in but they didn’t say why. I arrived at 3:15am to find Karolina in the most unimaginable state of shock and despair. She was holding our dead son in her arms, having just witnessed over 30 minutes of futile attempts to save him.
Cassian had died from a mispositioned feeding line. Instead of getting feeding fluid into his stomach, his heart was pierced and filled. This stopped it from pumping again. He died in an outrageously cruel way, which a Coroner found to be as a result of gross failings and neglect.
The decisions we had to make after Cassian’s death was a soul-crushing experience that left us breathless with grief. We made the decision to bury him, despite knowing he wasn’t whole. We couldn’t bear the thought of him being left in a freezer while the investigations dragged on for more than a year.
Even in the face of such overwhelming loss, we are determined to
honour our son’s memory. We are fighting for change. We will fight for his legacy, not just for our family, but for every family who deserves to hold their child in their arms and not have their lives shattered by medical errors. Casein's spirit will live on in every life saved, in every person who hears his story and takes action.