The family of Myles Neuts was shocked to discover medical officials disposed of his organs before the family had a chance to claim them.
In 1998, 10-year-old Neuts was found hanging from a coat hook in a washroom stall door at St. Agnes Catholic School in Chatham. The Grade 5 pupil died six days later, after being taken off of life support, and a coroner?s inquest was held into the death,
His parents, Mike and Brenda Neuts, recently saw a newspaper notice from the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service saying it?s reaching out to families to return organs of family members whose deaths involved a coroner?s investigation and autopsy before June 14, 2010.
Mike Neuts knew Myles? pituitary gland had been removed during the autopsy, but when he asked for more information he was shocked to learn his son?s brain and spinal cord had also been removed.
Those details were in an autopsy report and transcripts from the inquest, but Neuts said he overlooked them because he was still distraught.
Neuts also found out the hospital that performed the autopsy had already disposed of his son?s organs.
Dr. Michael Pollanen, chief forensic pathologist for Ontario, said practices in forensic pathology have changed
and organs no longer need to be kept as often,
He said medical ethics about sharing potentially-distressing news with families has also changed over the years.
?The ethical imperatives now have changed to full disclosure, as opposed to non-disclosure.? Pollanen said,
Neuts said he favours full disclosure, but personally contacting families would have been the better route to go, if organs were available.
?I wonder how many people like me have applied and there?s nothing there for us to get out, especially some of us who didn?t know (organs) were gone,? he said.
Pollanen said more than 2,000 individuals have contacted his office about the issue.
Pollanen said there is now a two-year time limit on retaining organs, which wasn?t the case in the past.
Neuts has been critical of the coroner?s inquest process over the years, but said the efforts of Pollanen give him hope that real changes are happening.
?When I got past my raw emotion and took a look at it . . . I need to be fair and say, ?You know what, they?re trying to clean it up and that?s why this happened,?? he said.
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MORE INFORMATION
? To obtain the organs of a family member whose death involved a coroner?s investigation and autopsy, call 1-855-564-4122 or go online to Ontario.ca/OrganRetention.
? Affected families can request organs be sent to a funeral home for cremation or burial and expenses will be covered by the province.
Source: http://www.lfpress.com/2013/03/24/more-heartache-for-myles-neuts-family
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