Scots mum dies nine days after calling after calling NHS 24 for cough

Kirsten Mclean, 37, from Harthill, was suffering from a breathless cough when she was taken to hospital where doctors found out she had pneumonia and breast cancer.

A mum-of-four has died just one week after she called NHS 24 over a cough.

Kirsten Mclean, 37, from Harthill, was found to be suffering from pneumonia when she was blue-lighted to hospital, but further scans diagnosed her with breast cancer.

Treatment to fight her lung infection wouldn't work and doctors made the decision to put her into an induced coma with a 50/50 chance that she would wake up again, but within 48 hours all her vital organs had completely failed.

Her devastated sister Sarah, 33, told the Record that her family is in shock at her sudden rapid decline as she leaves behind her young daughters, Cara, 15, Stephanie, 13, Lacey 11, and Charlotte, 11 months.

Sarah said: "I just can't believe she's gone and she never even got the chance to see Charlotte turn one - it's just heartbreaking.

"Charlotte obviously has no idea what's going on, but we're determined that Kirsten will be remembered by her because she was just the greatest mum. We have to keep going for all four of her girls and be a shoulder for them to cry on but it's very hard, they're all struggling."

Kirsten's family noticed she had become less like her "bubbly" self around six weeks ago after developing a cough. She was spending a lot of time in bed and was very lethargic. The mum was waiting for a follow-up appointment after initial concerns she might have had asthma.

But tragedy struck on the night of September 22 when Kirsten became breathless. Mark, her partner of 17 years, persuaded Kirsten to ring NHS 24 out of concern. After getting an out-of-hours appointment, she was blue-lighted to Wishaw General Hospital as her oxygen levels were only at 80%.

"Mark came home to the girls, but the next day he received a message from Kirsten that said he needed to come to the hospital right away," Sarah explained.

"I was watching the girls but I later phoned asking what had happened and he just burst out crying. A CT scan showed that she had breast cancer as well as pneumonia.

"There was nothing they could do to treat the cancer until Kirsten recovered from her infection. So over the following days, they did all they could to treat the pneumonia but it just was not budging.

"The last course of action the staff could do was put Kirsten in an induced coma as her body was so weak, but the family were warned it came with huge risk, with a 50/50 chance that she would wake up.

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"Even when they tried to move her to ICU, it was too risky because she was so ill."

Kirsten agreed to the induced coma and promised Mark she would fight this and said goodbye to her girls on Sunday, September 30. However, by the following day, things were not improving and her organs started to give up.

"On Tuesday morning, doctors told us that her kidneys, liver, and lungs, had all failed," Sarah added. They switched her life support off and she passed away with her family around her.

"It just all happened in a blink of an eye. She was such a bright, bubbly person, loved her life and being a mum was her world. She always had a smile on her face. She never drank or smoked and that's why it's such a shock. I just can't believe she's gone at such an early age.

"We now think she had been ill for some time but she's the sort of person who would take paracetamol and just get on with it. Maybe she was scared but I just wished she'd done something sooner."

Almost £5,000 has been raised for Kirsten's family and her young girls, you can donate here.

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