The father of a boy who was left brain damaged after surgery at Crumlin Children’s Hospital says he was told there was no hope for him.

Greville Miley broke a bone in his hand when he slammed his fist on a desk after hearing his six-month-old son was brain-damaged. It was January 2012 and Jude had undergone emergency surgery at Crumlin Children’s Hospital after going into cardiac arrest.

A procedure to assist his breathing was carried out two days beforehand, after which it emerged a piece of suture hadn’t been cut correctly, and was piercing the baby’s heart every time he took a breath. Greville said his doctors told him he may not survive being taken off life support, and they gave him no hope of any sort of recovery.

However, after raising funds for treatments abroad, he said his son, who’s now four-years-old, made great strides and learned to communicate, feed himself and even run. 

The hospital has admitted liability and a hearing is underway to assess how much his care will cost over an interim period – the duration of which is also to be decided.