Heartache as baby and dad die within 48 hours

Nov 30 2009 by Lynn Jolly, Paisley Daily Express

DEVASTATED Gillian Wales has opened her heart to the Paisley Daily Express and spoken about the pain of tragically losing two of the most precious people in her life within 48 hours of each other.

Her baby son Dylan lost his fight for life to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome at just three months old and her husband Allan died of a heart attack hours later.

Gillian, 28, had to bury three-months-old Dylan with his dad just weeks after she had been laid up in intensive care with pneumonia and kidney and liver failure.

Gillian, who is also mum to seven-year-old Jordan, was struggling to accept that she had lost tiny Dylan to cot death when she was given the devastating news that Allan had died after suffering a heart attack in Barlinnie Prison, Glasgow.

In a double blow of sheer devastation for Gillian, Dylan died on Friday, February 27 and grieving Allan passed away two days later on Sunday, March 1.

She told the Paisley Daily Express: I only had Dylan for a short time. Allan was devastated when the baby died. One of the prison officers had to tell him and he kept phoning me, crying.

Dylan died on the Friday morning and I had to go to the visiting room at the prison to see Allan. I couldnt kiss or cuddle him to comfort him. I could only hold his hand, and it was terrible.

Premature

I went back the next day and he just clung on to me. He clung on to me for the whole time. We had to be there for each other, but it was impossible.

When Dylan was born at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, Paisley, he was nine weeks premature and weighed just 2lbs 12oz. He was in intensive care for a few weeks and was cared for by the expert team at the hospitals Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU).

Gillian, who married Allan in jail just six months before he died, said: Dylan fought for his life. Allan phoned the hospital every day, sometimes twice a day.

I had to have an emergency Caesarian section and was in intensive care because of pneumonia, and my kidneys and liver failed. I had to have surgery for complications, I was on dialysis four times and I also had MRSA.

I was in hospital for six weeks and by the time Dylan was four weeks old, I had only seen him once.

I finally got out a few weeks before Christmas and Dylan came home two days later.

When I got him home, he weighed 4lbs 12oz and seemed fine. He eventually got up to 8lbs and was even eating a quarter of a rusk.

Just three weeks after Gillian and the baby were home, Allan called her to complain about chest pains he was suffering.

She advised him to see the prison doctor because his mum, Agnes, died from a heart attack aged 51 and his father, also Allan, was killed by a cardiac arrest at just 31.

Gillian, from Linwood, claims Allan called Aldo by his friends had visited the doctor three times, and was told that her being ill in hospital was probably causing him stress.

After Dylan died, I had been to see him in the chapel of rest at Yorkhill Hospital, in Glasgow, and I phoned Barlinnie to see if Allan would get out to see Dylan too. I thought it would do him good because the baby looked so peaceful.

The same day, at around 4pm, the prison called me to see if I was home alone, and when I asked them why they wouldnt say. I knew something was wrong with Allan.

Apparently, he had told his cellmate he had pins and needles in his left arm and went to see the nurse.

She said he was suffering stress with the baby dying, and told him to go for a sleep. He did that and never woke up.

At 4.30pm that day, two policemen from Johnstone turned up and told me he was dead. My baby and my husband had died within 48 hours, and if it wasnt for Jordan and my mum Connie, I wouldnt be here now, said Gillian.

Inquiry

Lord Advocate Elish Angiolini has given the green light for a Fatal Accident Inquiry into Allans death and Gillian hopes this will give her some closure.

Allan was convicted of various offences, including assault and robbery, in May 2008 and was serving a 34-month sentence.

Because he died in jail, an FAI which is a fact-finding exercise that is carried out to determine the cause of death, among other things, but is not set up to apportion blame will be held.

The Crown Office confirmed that an FAI into Allans death is expected to take place at Glasgow Sheriff Court on January 18.

Gillian added: The procurator fiscal contacted me and said that because Allan died in custody, there would be an inquiry. I think it will be the case that there was negligence somewhere because he had asked for medical help.

If they had just taken him to hospital a simple test would have told them if something was wrong with his heart.

Allans postmortem discovered that he had a heart attack three weeks before he died.

All I want to know is what happened to my husband and why it was allowed to happen.

He was due out in October and should be here now, comforting me over the loss of our baby.

Allan, originally from Glasgow, and Dylan were buried together on March 8 in Lambhill Cemetery, Glasgow.

Gillian said: Allan did do a robbery but he was a brilliant guy. He was an amazing person and had grown up a lot while he was in prison.

He absolutely doted on Jordan.