'Broken' mum wants answers from Royal Stoke over 'beautiful' daughter's death
A grieving mum is demanding answers from the Royal Stoke following the death of her "bright and beautiful" daughter who she says was "fighting" and "winning" her battle with a rare cancer. Kirstie Tittensor claims she has been met with "a wall of silence" since the passing of her 22-year-old daughter Elyse Foster.
She was in the Royal Stoke University Hospital's critical care unit following surgery when she stopped breathing and suffered a cardiac arrest on October 7. Although Elyse survived, tests sadly revealed that she had sustained brain damage and her life support machine was switched off 10 days later.
Mum-of-two Kirstie, from Cheddleton, told StokeonTrentLive that the family - including her nan Joy - had constantly been at Elyse's bedside since her surgery on September 20 but she had an appointment on the morning of October 7 so her daughter was alone for a few hours. It was during this period that she got a call from the hospital to say Elyse had stopped breathing.
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"I've had a wall of silence since the day of the incident," said a devastated Kirstie. "Three hours I left her for. She was in critical care - this beggars belief. Nobody will answer my questions. I'm so so broken and upset."
Kirstie says she was unhappy with aspects of her daughter's care and has submitted a complaint against the Royal Stoke. A hospital boss has confirmed that they are "in communication with them regarding their complaint".
Former Westwood College school student Elyse, who was a care assistant at Treetops Court Care Home in Leek while also studying to become a children's nurse, was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease called myasthenia gravis in March this year. A scan then revealed she had a thymoma - a rare cancer that had spread to one of her lungs.
Although she felt unwell from the chemotherapy that followed, her family said she always "bounced back" quickly. "She was so full of life," said Kirstie. "She was fighting and winning it. She was a cancer patient who had gone in for surgery which was successful and she was getting better. She was going to conquer all that."
One of Elyse's closest friends Caitlin Taaffe has launched a GoFundMe page to raise money to help with the funeral costs. In the space of five days, it had amassed more than £9,000 of the £12,000 target.
Caitlin states: "Elyse was an incredible person, full of kindness and love. At just 22, she touched the lives of so many and will forever be remembered for her warmth and spirit." Kirstie said she was really grateful to Caitlin, adding: "I didn't expect it to take off like it has. She was there through all of it with Elyse."
Matthew Lewis, UHNM medical director, said: "We would like to offer our condolences to the family of Miss Foster and are in communication with them regarding their complaint."