Cambuslang mum told son’s incurable condition was 'all in her head'

Jennifer Mellin claims she was told to consider postnatal anxiety medication after flagging up concerns about her baby Finlay.

The one-year-old had been diagnosed with syndactyly because of his webbed finger, but alarm bells rang for Jennifer who noticed several other issues.

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Finlay has as webbed finger (Image: Sourced)

This included Finlay’s chest looking “sunken in”, his arms not growing at the same rate, his left nipple not developing, and he struggled to crawl.

She claims despite these symptoms she was told by a health visitor that he was “fine” and she was just an anxious new mum.

Determined to get answers Jennifer took Finlay back to doctors in August 2022 who according to her apologised and confirmed he had been misdiagnosed at the Glasgow Children's Hospital eight months earlier.

The tot was actually suffering from Poland Syndrome, meaning he does not have a pec muscle or a shoulder tendon, and struggles to hold things.

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Finlay with mum Jennifer, dad Christopher, and big brother Nathan (Image: Newsquest)

Jennifer told the Glasgow Times: “It felt like it was all in my head but I trusted my gut because I knew something was wrong, I then took him to the GP who agreed with me.

“I had brought my concerns up to my health visitor but they suggested I needed medication for postnatal anxiety because Finlay was fine.

“I decided to take him back to doctors who apologised for misdiagnosing Finlay with syndactyly and confirmed it was actually Poland Syndrome.

“I complained about the health visitor's reaction, I would have liked my concerns to have been taken more seriously.

“Now I even have to carry a leaflet about with me to give to medical professionals because a lot of the time they haven’t heard of it.”

Finlay with mum Jennifer, dad Christopher, and big brother Nathan (Image: Newsquest)

Parents Jennifer and Christopher Mellin, 40, don’t know what Finlay’s future will look like as the condition is so rare that little research has been carried out.

Now she is determined to help families like her own get answers and help Poland Syndrome patients improve their quality of life.

The mum-of-two said the process has been “isolating” and hopes others “don’t have to go through” the same thing.

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Finlay with mum Jennifer, dad Christopher, and big brother Nathan (Image: Sourced)

She said: “We don’t know what the future looks like for him, it is a very rare condition and very little medical research has been done because of this.

“When he is older he can decide if he wants a chest implant surgery, it is a very serious procedure and won’t cure him but could make his chest look less sunken in.

"Going through this has been pretty isolating because it is such a rare illness, people don’t understand it.

“I am determined to raise awareness and because I don’t want other people to go through what we did.

“Families need answers and not enough research has been done about Poland Syndrome which I hope will change if we talk about it more.”

AN NHSGGC spokesperson said: “While we are unable to discuss individual patients, diagnosis of many medical conditions can evolve over time as symptoms are presented.

“We would like to apologise to the Mellin family for any distress caused at what we appreciate is an already stressful time.

“Our staff work hard to provide the highest standard of care to our patients.

“We will reach out directly to the family to discuss the care of this patient and answer any queries they may have around diagnosis and treatment to avoid any further misunderstanding.”

Lynsey Sutherland, associate nurse director, said: “Due to patient confidentiality, we cannot discuss individual cases.

“We regret any instance where someone feels we have failed to provide the highest standard of care. We would encourage anyone to contact our patient affairs team if they wish to raise any concerns to allow them to be fully investigated.”