Mt Druitt, Sydney: Family calls hospital, paramedics after boy dies

A teenage boy whose parents claim hospital staff and paramedics dismissed his symptoms as a stomach virus and the flu died days later from a brain infection.

Treva Ashton, 15, from Mt Druitt in Sydney’s west, first went to the doctor with his mother on June 24 after feeling unwell for about three days.

The ninth-grader initially suffered from a stuffy nose, but on the night of June 23, he began to feel increasingly worse and had to vomit.

Treva’s mother, Sharon Gauci, 45, said her son was confused during their first visit to the family doctor, which alerted the doctor.

“Our doctor said he shouldn’t be here” and gave us a letter to take to the hospital, saying he needed to be checked out immediately because he looked “very sick” and “confused,” she said.

‘His temperature was 40 degrees Celsius and he had a low heart rate and low blood pressure.’

But later that day the family waited at Mt Druitt Hospital for about an hour and a half before being told to take Treva home to rest and given two Panadol tablets.

Treva’s father, Darren Ashton, 45, said they were told there were 60 patients waiting for them and it could be up to nine hours before a doctor could help him.

Treva Ashton, 15, from Mt Druitt in Sydney’s west, first went to the doctor with his mother on June 24 after feeling unwell for about three days

The family claims a triage nurse told them Treva “probably just has a stomach bug or the flu.”

“His eyes were rolling back and he didn’t know what was happening. He was confused and in a daze,” Mr Ashton said.

“He’s a child, he should have been seen right away – he’s under 16.”

Mrs Gauci said her son did not want to wait any longer to see a doctor. The nurses said he was fine despite his high fever, so the family went home.

But once they got home, Treva started vomiting.

“He kept saying, ‘I don’t feel good. My head, my head,’” she said.

Ms Gauci said she had placed a wet facial cleanser on his head to lower his temperature.

“But he started having chills, so I knew it was an infection,” she said.

A teenage boy, dismissed by hospital staff and paramedics as having a stomach virus and flu, tragically died days later after his sinus infection spread to his brain

Treva could barely eat and had a headache all night. She was given Sudafed and Panadol.

The next day the symptoms worsened even more. Treva complained of loss of movement in one leg.

During the night the family woke up to Treva’s screams and on June 26 at 4:37 am an ambulance was called to the house.

“He said he had a headache, stomach ache and was vomiting,” she said.

But when the ambulance arrived, Ms Gauchi claimed the paramedic was sceptical about the seriousness of the situation and simply told the teenager to drink plenty of fluids.

“The paramedic said, ‘He probably has a stomach bug or the flu, and if we take him to the hospital, he’ll get more illnesses.’”

“But he was very white in the face. And I know my boy. Something wasn’t right,” she said.

‘You could see it in his eyes, he wouldn’t look at you. I said there was something wrong with his brain.

“And she (the health care worker) said, ‘No, when you have the flu, this is how you act.’”

Treva’s 45-year-old mother, Sharon Gauci, said her son was confused during their first visit to their family doctor, which alerted the doctor.

When Treva’s parents pointed out that he had lost movement in one of his legs, the couple said the care provider attributed the loss of feeling to numbness.

“They said, ‘You know how kids are, he can be overly dramatic,’” Gauci said.

However, Treva’s condition worsened that day and night. His family noticed that his head was swollen, his vomit contained blood and he was experiencing body aches.

Treva said he felt like his head was “going to explode.”

On June 27, at 9:10 a.m., an ambulance was called and arrived shortly afterwards.

This time, emergency workers rushed the 15-year-old to Nepean Hospital, where he soon became unresponsive.

“I was screaming, ‘Treva.’ I was screaming for the doctors,” his mother said.

“I could hear the staff saying, ‘We’re going to lose him, we’re going to lose him.’”

After the teenager was placed in an induced coma and on a ventilator, medical staff administered antibiotics to kill the infection.

But Treva’s CT scan showed he had fluid on his brain.

The family was told that part of Treva’s brain was dead, and the surgeon then delivered the tragic news that their beloved boy would not recover

“They had to do emergency surgery to remove part of his skull so his brain could swell, drain the fluid and put the skull back in later,” an emotional Ms Gauci said.

“When they opened him up, his head was filled with pus from the infection.”

Treva remained in intensive care under anesthesia and was given antibiotics. On July 1, her surgeons had to operate on her again.

“They had to drill a hole in his eyebrow to relieve the pressure and clear his sinuses,” said MS Gauci.

But after the sinus surgery, the pressure on Treva’s brain continued to increase and that same day, the 15-year-old was rushed back to the operating room, this time to remove the other front part of his skull.

The family was told that part of Treva’s brain was dead, at which point the surgeon delivered the tragic news that their son would not recover.

“The surgeon said ‘there was nothing we could do’. The nurses were crying because they don’t normally treat children. Everyone was so upset,” Mr Ashton said.

‘We also found out that he had had a stroke between the first and second ambulance.

‘He wanted to take a shower at home and fell. He couldn’t move his legs. We didn’t know he had a stroke.

“We were also told that he had suffered multiple strokes between the first and second surgeries.”

Treva’s parents said they are still in shock at how quickly everything happened and want answers as to why their “cuddly” boy wasn’t a priority

Treva’s parents say they are still in shock at how quickly everything happened and would like more information about how their “cuddly, handsome, funny” boy was treated.

The family wonders if his life could have been saved if he had been treated in hospital.

“It could have been prevented. I want justice for my boy,” Ms Gauci said.

“He was a handsome boy, he was my baby. He always had a lot of jokes and loved going on TikTok and making memes.

“He looked forward to the school holidays so much to go biking and camping. He loved his dirt bike and was saving up for a bigger one because he was having a growth spurt.”

Trying to hold back tears, Ms Gauci said it is eerie to be in the family home now without Treva’s presence.

“I have to walk past his room to get to my room, but I can’t hear him playing on his X-Box,” she said.

“I was doing laundry and I was hanging his clothes on the line. I was doing his laundry and I realized he’s not there, and that’s the worst part.”

“He said ‘I love you’ to us every night. He wouldn’t go to bed without a fist pump for his dad and a kiss for his mom.”

Treva’s parents said they have not yet received an apology or explanation from emergency services or NSW Health, but they do not want to take any action until after the funeral.

Treva will miss meeting the newest members of the family. His life support was turned off on July 7th and the next day his sister gave birth to twin boys

Despite the tragedy, the family wanted their son to leave a legacy.

“We donated both eyes, both kidneys, lungs, heart and pancreas,” she said.

“My baby died a hero.”

Treva missed meeting the newest members of the family. His ventilator was turned off on July 7, and the next day his sister gave birth to twins.

The family is in financial difficulties because Mrs Gauci receives disability benefits and her partner cares for her.

The family of six, who also lost a son in 2007, say they have no idea how they will pay for the funeral of their second-youngest child.

The family started a GoFundMe campaign to cover the costs and discovered that unauthorized fundraisers had already been started in their son’s name.

“People are trying to make money off my son. We don’t want anyone to collect money on our behalf, we never gave permission,” she said.

In a statement to Daily Mail Australia, Western Sydney Local Health District and NSW Ambulance said they “extend their sincere condolences to the patient’s family”.

An evaluation is currently taking place and the family is being kept informed of progress.

“It is not appropriate to comment further at this time.”