Woman with ME asked GP for feeding

Maeve Boothby-O’Neill, a 27-year-old woman suffering from myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), tragically died in October 2021 after experiencing severe health deterioration. An inquest revealed that she had been pleading for assistance with feeding from her GP, Dr. Lucy Shenton, just months before her death, expressing her despair over inadequate hospital care. Despite multiple hospital admissions, Maeve was often discharged without adequate treatment, leaving her mostly bedbound and reliant on her mother for nourishment. Her parents raised concerns about the recognition and treatment of ME, noting that the illness is frequently dismissed as not serious within the healthcare system. Dr. Shenton, unable to attend the inquest due to PTSD from the case, had previously advocated for more comprehensive care for Maeve. The inquest aims to examine her care and the systematic gaps in services for those suffering from ME.