Jack Dunn, a seventeen-year-old boy from Florida, became ill with severe stomach pain. Jack Dunn had complained of stomach discomfort. The agony was so excruciating that he could not even walk straight. His parents were alarmed, and they took him to a hospital as soon as possible, where doctors performed all they could to figure out what was wrong with him but without success.
Jack, the young man from Port in Wales, was initially diagnosed with severe constipation. His doctors gave him laxative medicine to help him deal with the discomfort he was feeling. But Jack’s situation was far more serious than constipation medication could handle, as his parents and medical experts were not aware of it.
He was found dead in his bed less than 24 hours after returning home from the hospital.
Jack’s parents held the doctors accountable for their son’s stomach pains since they seemed apathetic. All the doctors did was rule out appendicitis with a scan.
“We took him to A&E and completely trusted the doctors in telling us what was wrong with him. He could barely walk and was in so much pain. He was given a bladder scan, but it didn’t show anything up. The doctor said he was baffled and believed Jack was suffering from nothing more than a bad bout of constipation,” Jack’s father stated.
Jack’s “constipation issues” were probably attributed to a medical condition known as diabetic ketoacidosis, which was not discovered deep enough by healthcare professionals. This condition happens when the body’s ability to make insulin is inadequate while at the same time producing too many blood acids.
Jack’s father noted that there were other indicators that should have alerted the doctors to the severity of his condition, but they chalked it up as a part of the initial diagnosis. For example: “When Jack was finding it difficult to breathe the doctor thought it was probably anxiety because Jack was anxious about being in the hospital,” he said
Doctors didn’t know that Jack’s struggle to breathe was because his organs were beginning to shut down due to ketoacidosis.
Jack’s dad found him dead. It was a devastating moment for him.
“Finding my son dead in his bed was the worst moment of my life. I believe Jack would be alive today if a few more simple tests had been carried out.”
Jack’s death could have been prevented if the doctors had paid more attention or carried out a simple glucose test rather than write it off as constipation.
“Jack’s white blood cell count was up, so that was an indicator something was going on in his body that wasn’t right. If they had tested him for ketones, he would probably be alive today.”
If jack’s true condition had been discovered earlier, it would have given him a chance of survival. With proper medication and an artificial insulin shot, he would most likely have made it. Other symptoms to look out for include fatigue, confusion, feeling perched, elevated breaths, and the need to urinate more often than usual.
Jack is no longer with us, but his parents think that by sharing his story, more people will learn about the disease that caused his death and prevent a similar tragedy from befalling another family.
