Manaaki Jacobus Pulu and his mother Sharnz Welsh, who is marking the anniversary of her 1-year-old son's death. He died on July 20, 2023, after attempted treatment at Waikato Hospital and Starship children's hospital. Photo / Sharnz Welsh
Manaaki Jacobus Pulu and his mother Sharnz Welsh, who is marking the anniversary of her 1-year-old son's death. He died on July 20, 2023, after attempted treatment at Waikato Hospital and Starship children's hospital. Photo / Sharnz Welsh
The coroner is investigating the death of a 1-year-old boy after his mother, distressed about what she believes was an inadequate diagnosis and treatment, wrote to coronial services desperate for answers.
Sharna Welsh spoke to the Herald on the eve of the first anniversary of her son Manaaki Jacobus Pulu’s death. She can still remember the last moment she saw her boy in good health before he suddenly turned and was rushed to hospital.
“We were at home, he had just had breakfast and then he lay down on me,” Welsh said. “Then he started getting a high fever and sort of shaking, flinching, all of a sudden.”
She took Manaaki to an after-hours accident and emergency centre. Initially, doctors believed Manaaki had swallowed some vomit, Welsh said. Doctors then ruled that out and sent Manaaki to Waikato Hospital.
Doctors at Waikato Hospital then decided Manaaki was dehydrated, Welsh said. But after an ultrasound, doctors believed Manaaki was all right and only had gastroenteritis, she said. Still treating him for dehydration, Welsh was told the hospital was preparing to discharge Manaaki that evening.
Then Manaaki had a seizure, which lasted about five minutes, Welsh said.
“And then he was unconscious, he wouldn’t wake up. That’s the last time I saw him.”
Manaaki Jacobus Pulu died on July 20, 2023, after attempted treatment at Waikato Hospital and Starship children's hospital. Photo / Sharnz Welsh
Doctors took Manaaki for a CT scan, which showed water on the brain, hydrocephalus. He and Welsh waited “another four hours” for a helicopter to transfer him to Starship children’s hospital.
“By the time we got to Starship in the early hours of the morning, like 3am, they said Manaaki’s vitals were all over the place. I signed a paper for some surgery to be done. That was not done,” Welsh said.
Then Manaaki died of encephalitis, inflammation of the brain: “I just shut down. I had no emotion. I didn’t want to be around baby at all, because he was not there. He’s gone.”
‘There’s something more going on. I know my son’
Welsh said she thought there was something more going on with her son, and she believed the initial gastroenteritis and dehydration diagnoses Manaaki received were incorrect, and delayed treatment that could have saved his life.
“I told the nurse that was in there with us, ‘No, there’s something more going on. I know my son’.
Manaaki Jacobus Pulu and his mother Sharnz Welsh, who is marking the anniversary of her 1-year-old son's death after attempted treatment at Waikato Hospital and Starship children's hospital. Photo / Sharnz Welsh
“He never cried. He never has tears in his eyes, and he never looks at me like how he was looking at me in that moment,” Welsh said.
“His eyes were sad. It’s like he had no emotions. He couldn’t even smile when his dad walked in, like, he didn’t even notice his dad.”
Anxious about what exactly was wrong with Manaaki, Welsh said she asked doctors treating her son whether they had seen a child in a similar condition before. She said the doctors told her they had, however, she was unconvinced.
Three months later, after Welsh had time to mourn her son, she began reflecting on Manaaki’s treatment in the hospital and comparing his diagnoses to her own instincts.
Manaaki Jacobus Pulu and his mother Sharnz Welsh, who is marking the anniversary of her 1-year-old son's death. Photo / Sharnz Welsh
“It seemed like I knew more than the nurses and doctors there.
A spokeswoman for the coroner confirmed Manaaki’s case was active and being investigated. There was no further information available at this time, she said.
Te Whatu Ora Waikato’s regional director of hospital and specialist services, Mark Shepherd, said it would be inappropriate for Te Whatu Ora to comment while the coroner was investigating.
“We extend our condolences to Manaaki’s whānau during what has been a tragic and very distressing time,” Shepherd said.
Welsh said Manaaki’s family, including his seven siblings, were at Starship with him when he died. He had only recently turned 1.
“He was a big, healthy baby boy and he was quite clever,” Welsh said.
She was now coping better than she had during the first six months after her baby’s death.
“I’m able to talk about it now because I’ve just recently started going to church a few weeks ago - and yeah, I’m on that.”
She told the Herald she was not angry with the professionals who treated her son, but was instead confused and in search of answers about whether Manaaki got the best care possible.
Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.
