Young boy told dad he’d ‘be ok’ in last words but never spoke to him again

In a grievous turn of events, 12-year-old Joel Rawlinson’s last reassuring words to his father, “you’ll be ok,” marked their final conversation before the boy tragically succumbed to complications arising from an undiagnosed aneurysm. Joel’s sudden collapse while playing on his PlayStation led to his urgent admission to North Manchester General Hospital on December 29, 2019. Despite his critical condition and a history of heart surgery in infancy, delays in his transfer to a specialized children’s facility contributed to a fatal outcome, told by “Daily Record“.

An inquest highlighted a series of missteps at North Manchester General, including the failure to promptly escalate Joel’s care to a more equipped hospital. This oversight was compounded by an outdated reliance on fax communication and a debated transfer to a regular ward despite Joel’s severe condition. Joel was eventually moved to Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital and then to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery but sadly passed away on January 1, 2020.

Lee Rawlinson, Joel’s father, criticized the hospital for its ‘sickening’ failures, expressing profound grief over the loss of his son, who had been a vibrant and active child. The coroner pointed to the delayed recognition of Joel’s severe state and the slow response in escalating his treatment as contributing factors to his death. The Rawlinson family’s ordeal underscores the devastating impact of systemic failings in emergency healthcare and the irreplaceable loss of a young life.