The late Melissa Hamilton with her daughters Jessica (left) and Darcey with the Anglo Celt cup after the Ulster Champions, Donegal, visited the Red Hughs GAA Club in 2012. She passed away less than two months after this picture was taken.
By Cronan Scanlon
A KILLYGORDON man has said he bears no ill will towards the GP he sued over the death of his young wife and mother of their three daughters.
Mr Seamus Hamilton was speaking to the Donegal News on Saturday, a day after his family was awarded €1.35 million damages against the HSE and Dr Eileen Coyne over the missed cancer diagnosis of his wife Melissa (34), who died in September, 2012.
Melissa (nee Connolly), from Sallywood, Killygordon, died two weeks after she was diagnosed, and just nine days after the birth of her third child, Gracey.
Of the settlement, €900,000 has been awarded for the future care of her three children, who are aged ten, six and three, and the balance is to be divided between Ms Hamilton’s eight dependants.
Mr Hamilton sued for damages for nervous shock due the wrongful death of his wife.
“Doctor Coyne, like any GP, has only so much power, so she could only refer Melissa on to the breast check clinic in Letterkenny General Hospital (LGH). She referred her to Letterkenny twice and they (LGH) failed to diagnose her cancer, but she was reluctant to refer her the third time when her condition deteriorated. However, I have nothing whatsoever against Dr Coyne and I am not looking for vengeance,” he stressed.
Mr Hamilton (37) also said he had nothing against the nurses and staff who cared for Melissa at LGH. However, he said, any anger he might have is directed at HSE staff ‘further up the line.’
“No one from the HSE came to me personally and said ‘sorry’. The only reason I took this case was to clear Melissa’s name and to prove that she did everything to look about her health. She did not neglect herself and I went to court to prove that. Health experts in London said her cancer was ‘unmissable’ and should have been noticed during her second scan, which occurred a year before she died.”
For full indepth report, see tomorrow’s Donegal News or subscribe to our digital edition.
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