Heartbroken by the mother after her son, 4, died 24 hours after leaving the hospital

A mother was heartbroken after the death of her four year old son, presumed to be sepsis, less than 24 hours after being discharged from the hospital home.

Katrina Farnell, 23, drove Sheldon, a "happy little boy," last Friday at Sunderland Royal Hospital, following a viral infection.

He spent two days in a ward, but was released Sunday before his blood tests were returned. The family then claimed that something was wrong.

Sheldon's condition was deteriorated at home and the young man was unable to stand up, was dizzy, had pain throughout the body, had diarrhea and was sick.

Miss Farnell brought him back to the hospital, where he was treated, but he died Monday morning.

His grieving mother said, "I'm accusing the hospital of Sheldon's death. They should have saved him.

"If they had given us the results of his blood test in an hour, they would have said that he would still be there.

& # 39; My little boy is dead. They do not care … Doctors and nurses are supposed to help people not to look for them. It was so bad and they did not do enough.

"They arrived Sunday morning to say that he had a viral infection, gave him an iron infusion and said we could take him home and give him Calpol if I thought he had any need.

"I asked them to check his back again. A doctor came in and touched his back and said it was okay.

"He was talking rubbish, he was shaking and his arms and face were swollen. I asked them to check the needle in his foot because he said it hurt and the nurse said it did not hurt once it had come in, but Sheldon was crying.

I knew that he was not well. I did not want to go there. They should not have let him go. They practically let my little boy die.

She added, "Sheldon was my life, he was my world. I should have spent money to give him a good Christmas but now I will spend for funerals. All I can do is that justice be done for him now.

Miss Farnell said that she felt "confused" because she was a young mother and that she said, "Every time my mother is in the room, they go to she, not me, as if she were his mother.

The boy's grandmother, 46-year-old Nicola Farnell, whom Sheldon would lovingly call "Mommor," said, "Sheldon was a very funny, affectionate, caring and joyous little boy.

"He maintained a life-saving treatment, his heart stopped and they tried to recover it.

"They were doing heart mbadage and his pulse was so slow that he was arrested again.

& # 39; Katrina just said & # 39; Mom, he's gone – and he's dead in our arms. "

Sheldon's grandfather, Gary Farnell, said, "He had the rest of his life in front of him and he was taken away from him.

"I told him," God help you when you get old and the girls are chasing you. "

"He was a little boy and he loved everyone. It was the most polite little boy.

"He loved everyone and loved everyone. We are a close family and we are always together and we just lost the best thing in our lives.

"The house is too quiet now.

The close-knit family met at Gary and Nicola's in Houghton Spring, Sunderland, where Miss Farnell lived with Sheldon to support each other and mourn.

They said Sheldon will be missed by all who knew him, including his best friends, nine-year-old Jack and four-year-old Olly, who are the children of Katrina's partner, Holly Keegan.

Sheldon's aunt, Rachael Farnell, whom Sheldon previously called "Aunty Hurry," said, "He would take the mick away in the smallest possible way. He is exactly like that.

Daniel Robson, partner of his uncle and Rachael, whom Sheldon had used to call "Uncle Havier," said, "The doctor had come to take blood samples on Friday. They told Katrina that they would be back in an hour with her results.

"She did not stop asking every hour but nothing came back, [the results] Only returned on Sunday night and in the meantime, Sheldon was released.

"He had a lumbar puncture and he could not even walk – just for that, he should not have been fired.

He had all the signs of sepsis. He was yellow, he was sick and he had diarrhea.

With regard to blood, the results came back after Sheldon, who attended the Nesham Nursery in Houghton, was released.

Sheldon's grandfather said the family is now asking hospital leaders to give information about what happened.

He said, "He should never have been sent home, at least until they were tested for blood."

"We lost our beautiful grandson. He was the star of our lives. We are all heartbroken, he just made everyone laugh.

An investigation to determine the cause of Sheldon's death will be opened later.

Ian Martin, Medical Director of the Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust's City Hospitals, said, "We send our sincere condolences to Sheldon's family for their tragic loss and offer all the support we can to their loved ones during this very sad and difficult time. .

"Because of patient confidentiality, we are not able to discuss details of Sheldon's treatment. However, we can confirm that we have already begun our robust internal control process so that we can fully understand the circumstances surrounding his care.

As with any unexpected death, the coroner will also undertake a full and thorough investigation and we offer our full cooperation and support to this process.

"We will continue to keep Sheldon's family up to date with all the news and we can not say more for now."