'Justice for Bonnie': Waterford family calls on Taoiseach for answers after hospital retains baby's remains
Bonnie was only 11 months old when she passed away.
A Waterford family has been left devastated over the news that their cherished baby girl was buried without her brain.
Bonnie Fox was less than a year old when she tragically passed away in her sleep on New Year's Day, January 1, 2021.
At 11 months, Bonnie was already walking, talking, singing and dancing. She had beautiful blue eyes and was adored by everyone she met.
At the time of her death, Covid-19 restrictions were still in place, meaning that her family had to grieve by themselves at her funeral.
Three years later, her family were informed that a HSE audit had revealed that Bonnie's brain was retained at Children's Health Ireland (CHI) Crumlin.
Bonnie's mother Jenny told the Waterford News and Star: "We were horrified to find out after three years that our baby wasn't buried whole. To have the trauma of a second funeral, no parents should ever have to go through that."
The revelation, and subsequent letter of apology, has shattered the family.
Now, Jenny is calling for answers in the terrible aftermath of the news.
Through social media, she described her shock and horror upon learning that CHI Crumlin had kept her daughter's organ.
She has directly called on Taoiseach Simon Harris and Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly for action.
She wrote: "They did all of this without our permission as parents and without the coroner's permission."
The hashtag #justiceforbonnie is being shared to raise awareness.
Bonnie's death left her parents Jenny and Mark, and her siblings, family, extended family and community in complete devastation.
The Fox and Halley families buried their daughter and granddaughter, following a Mass of The Angels at The Sacred Heart Church, the Folly, in Waterford city on January 6, 2021, in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Ballygunner.
Since Bonnie's passing, the family have raised money for charity through fundraisers in her memory, supporting Féilacáin, the organisation which offers support to those who experience still-birth and neonatal death.
In September this year, Bonnie's mother Jenny revealed through social media that her child's remains were held inside Crumlin Hospital without her knowledge.
She stated that An Garda Síochána contacted her a few days before Christmas last year to inform her that an audit showed that her child's brain was retained by the hospital.
She also said that she received a letter of apology from CHI Crumlin, but the apology has done little to temper the family's turmoil.
Jenny wrote on the post: "You're sorry you kept part of my baby in a jar? For three years? Or you're sorry there was an audit and you got caught?"
The ordeal has raised questions for the family over why and how the information was held for so long after Bonnie's death.
Jenny wrote: "In the year of 2024 they are doing this? You know why they are doing this? Because they get away with it!"
CHI Crumlin were contacted for a statement. A spokesperson replied: "Children's Health Ireland cannot comment on individual cases. Even if a family decides to make their story public, we are still bound by patient confidentiality."
The matter of organ retention at CHI Crumlin was discussed at a HSE board meeting in September 2023.
Attending the meeting were Minister for Children Roderic O'Gorman and Minister Anne Rabbitte.
The minutes stated that an audit was carried out in December 2021, which identified that organs had been retained at post mortem in CHI at Crumlin and remained, securely stored, in the department.
It read: "These organs were from post mortems performed pre-2020. The retention of organs from the children was the result of a breakdown (or non-commencement) of communication with families or an inadequate capture of information about the family’s wishes regarding organ retention."
