Shannon taking Strep B campaign to Stormont

A Derry mother has vowed to take her campaign for mandatory Group B Strep testing, for all pregnant women in the North, to Stormont.

Shannon Doherty, whose son Rían almost died from complications arising from the bacterial infection, is also organising a fundraiser for Altnagelvin Hospital’s Ward 6, where Rían received life-saving treatment.

B Strep is a bacteria commonly found in the digestive tract, urinary tract, and genital area. It rarely causes symptoms or problems in adults but it can be fatal for newborn babies.

Baby Rían's all set for ‘Micky Doherty hosts Baby Rían’s Big Bingo Night’

“I will fight until I know for sure I have made Group B Strep testing mandatory for every pregnant woman. Our fundraiser, ‘Micky Doherty hosts Baby Rían’s Big Bingo Night’ and all my awareness raising is just the beginning,” Shannon told Derry News.

“I will stand outside Stormont until they listen to me and make Group B Strep testing mandatory.”

Shannon's online petition can be signed HERE.

‘Baby Rían’s Big Bingo Night’ is taking place in the Maldron Hotel in the city on Friday, October 6. Tickets cost £10.

Clearly emotional, Shannon explained the motivation behind the event saying: “My son Rían was born prematurely but he was out home and doing everything as normal. However, on the night of July 3, I noticed it was taking him two hours to drink three ounces.

“I knew in my heart there was something wrong, so I rang Out-Of-Hours and the doctor told me to phone an ambulance. By this stage, Rían had turned pure yellow.

“He had previously had jaundice and I was panicking in case he had it again.

“He started to take seizures in my arms and his eyes were rolling to the back of his head. His wee body was jumping.

“The ambulance was with me within five minutes but it was the longest five minutes of my life, watching him so sick. The paramedics took one look at him and put him straight into the back of the ambulance. On the way to Altnagelvin, they had to stop the ambulance and they were working with him as his breathing was poor,” recalled Shannon.

The distraught mother and Baby Rían were rushed straight into Resuscitation when they got to hospital.

“I started to panic,” said Shannon, “but all of the medical staff were keeping me calm.

“Within a minute, there was a doctor there and then a paediatric doctor. That’s when I realised Rían’s situation was extremely serious.

“They had to get a catheter into him and I thought, ‘He’s only a wee tiny baby. How are you going to do this?’ He was pure yellow.

“Then they did a Gas Test on Rían’s foot. His results were so bad they said, ‘Gather your things, we’re going up to the ward. We are taking him down to treatment. We need to get a line in’.

“It was half five in the morning before he came back to me. I was really, really panicking. My heart was in my throat. Then they told me, at that minute in time, they didn’t know what was wrong with Rían. They just said he was very, very ill,” said Shannon.

A consultant then came to talk to Shannon and asked if she had ever heard of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). 

“Then he said to me they wanted to do a lumbar puncture on Rían,” said Shannon. “I was cried out.

“He had to go for his lumbar puncture alone. His daddy and I were not allowed in. He needed oxygen afterwards. He was very ill. The Doctor told his daddy it was meningitis but they didn’t know if it was bacterial or viral.

“Less than half an hour later, we were told it was blood poisoning and Rían had sepsis. The lumbar puncture results confirmed the cause was late onset Group B Strep, which had gone undetected. Rían had Strep B from birth but it hadn’t been picked up until he was six and a half weeks old. Had it been detected sooner, it might not have gone to the meningitis and the sepsis.

“Rían was critically ill for 48 hours. But, he is one of the lucky ones. He came out the other end. He has suffered some possibly life-changing effects. His hearing is affected and this may affect his speech. That will all be monitored over the next 18 months. 

“Rían is also missing some of his early milestones and we have been told to  expect a possible diagnosis of cerebral palsy,” said Shannon. 

“You would never think by looking at him,” said Shannon, “all he does is smile.”
Shannon said Rían’s illness devastated the whole family.

“I have two children with autism,” said Shannon, “and when Rían went into hospital, his sisters didn’t know if they were coming or going. It was just at the start of their summer holidays. 

“His sisters didn’t get to see him the whole time he was in hospital. They are mad about him but they know they can’t touch him, which is hard because he is their wee brother and they love him.”

Shannon said she was fundraising for Ward 6 because of the care and the amount of support they gave Rían when he was admitted.

“They could not do enough for us and I want to give something back. Rían is going to be under their care for years. He is not discharged completely. We want to, maybe, provide more beds for parents to be able to stay with their sick children,” she said.

“I also want to raise awareness about Group B Strep because it is not routinely offered for pregnant women. I feel all pregnant women should be screened. If the mother has it, the baby is going to contract it no matter what. 

“I am going to take on this campaign. I am in the middle of drawing up a petition. If it is the last thing I do, I am going to make it mandatory for all pregnant women to be tested for Group B Strep. No family should have their life turned upside down the way we have.”

Shannon said she could not thank everyone involved in ‘Baby Rían’s Big Bingo Night’ enough. “The whole of Derry is putting their arms around us,” she said. 

“I just can’t thank Ward 6 enough for the care they gave and are still giving, Rían. They kept my wee man with us. It could have been a different outcome. 

“They treated my son like their son. Hand on heart I cannot thank them enough.”

A spokesperson for the Department of Health told Derry News: “ In Northern Ireland, as in the rest of the UK, routine testing for GBS in pregnancy is not currently recommended because there is insufficient evidence to support it. 

“This position is kept under regular review. “If you are concerned about GBS, discuss it with your doctor or midwife.”

‘Baby Rían’s Big Bingo Night’ is taking place in the Maldron Hotel in the city on Friday, October 6. Tickets cost £10 and can be purchased from Shannon herself on: 07599858810.

Any families reading Shannon and Baby Rían's story who have been affected by group B Strep or who are pregnant and may wish to know more about testing can also contact the Group B Strep Support group at: www.gbss.org.uk or by phone at: 0330 120 0796.