Leo Lagana’s mother claims he still may be alive if he received care at children’s hospital

Summarize this content to 50 words A devastated mother whose son suffered from a rare form of dwarfism and died from multiple aneurysms claims he would still be alive if he wasn’t denied treatment at a children’s hospital.Leo Lagana, 22, was the size of a toddler due to his condition and his mother Pauline says he was a child both physically and intellectually.On January 19, Leo had an extremely high heart rate and Ms Lagana called an ambulance who rushed him to Wollongong Hospital, south of Sydney.He was due to be transferred to Sydney Children’s Hospital for surgery the following day, but Ms Lagana claims the hospital’s board decided that Leo could not receive treatment there due to his age – with a cutoff of 16 years.Instead, Leo was taken to the adjacent Prince of Wales Hospital in Randwick, but Ms Lagana claims the nurses there weren’t sure how to care for a person of his size.She said finding an anesthesiologist was also difficult and that, with his surgery delayed, her son started having aneurysms and seizures.He finally underwent emergency surgery on January 22, but could not be saved. Leo Lagana passed away on January 22. His family says he should have been treated at a children’s hospital, but was refused because he was 22 years old.Ms. Lagana and her family are now outraged that Leo was not treated in a facility that had the right equipment for the size of her 93cm son.”If they had operated on him before he had the seizures I think he may have survived,” she told Daily Mail Australia.Ms Lagana said her family harbored no animosity towards the Prince of Wales’s medical staff, but claimed the nurses had gone too far in treating Leo.”When we came to the Prince of Wales, Leo needed a blood transfusion and the nurse told me, ‘I don’t know what to do with him’, because he was a child, not an adult,” Ms Lagana said. said. Leo’s mother Pauline and her family are now furious Leo (both pictured) was not treated in a facility that had the proper equipment for a person of his sizeShe said the nurse had to ask the Children’s Hospital for advice on the correct dosage of Leo’s medication, and even cut a Panadol tablet in half for him.“Nurses came in and complained to me, saying things like ‘What is he doing here? We don’t know how to deal with someone his size,” said Ms. Lagana.Leo suffered an aneurysm the night before he died that left him blind in one eye.”He was in so much pain and he said to me, ‘Mom, I’m dying, please caress my head,’” Ms Lagana said.Leo had a seizure the following morning, but Ms Lagana said that because the Prince of Wales did not have the proper equipment to treat children in cardiac arrest, a nurse had to fetch one from the children’s hospital.Although Leo’s life expectancy has always been shorter than average, Ms. Lagana said the pain of losing her son was compounded by the thought that he might have more time on his hands. Leo’s family say they are devastated by his loss and miss him dearly Leo had been in and out of hospital in Wollongong before he diedMs Lagana claimed Sydney Children’s Hospital treated Leo when he was 17, despite the patient limit being 16.”They said he was always welcome there and I was convinced he would be,” she said.“When they said no, I felt really let down. We were furious.’ Leo defied the doctors’ expectations when he was born weighing only 1.6 kg and 28 cm tall. His condition, known as majeski microcephalic osteodysplastic primordial type two, is extremely rare, affecting only 200 people worldwide. While Leo’s life expectancy has always been shorter than average, Ms Lagana said the pain of losing her son was compounded by the thought that he might have more time on his hands Pauline Lagana is pictured with her son Leo on his 21st birthday”We are heartbroken, we miss him terribly and he has left a huge hole here,” Ms Lagana said.”I’m gutted they did what they did and I know there are more little kids like him out there and I’d hate to see that happen again.”Ms Lagana said Leo was a kid “in every way” and will be remembered for his brutality.”He couldn’t read or write, he was a kid and for them to close the door on him…” she said.NSW Health said in a statement that Leo’s care was being reviewed and the department offered its condolences to his loved ones.”SCHN (Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network) cares for infants, children and adolescents from birth to age 16, or age 18 for patients with existing chronic health conditions,” the statement said. Leo, just 93cm tall, had a rare form of primordial dwarfism (pictured with American basketball player Michael Holyfield who is 2.11m tall)“As a young person approaches age 18, SCHN supports them as they transition to appropriate adult health care for ongoing care. The campus of ‘The Randwick Hospitals’ is highly integrated with shared services supporting both adult and pediatric patients. Prince of Wales and Sydney Children’s Hospital work together as necessary to care for patients. ‘NSW Health policies ensure that care is delivered in a way that is inclusive, person-centred and accessible to people with disabilities. “This includes making reasonable accommodations available to people, such as access to pediatric supplies, and equipping staff with the necessary resources to provide effective, timely, high-quality health care to all.”