Lynn Gilderdale
Encyclopedia
Lynette Gilderdale (20 September 1977–4 December 2008), also known on the internet as Jessie Oliver, was a British
woman with chronic fatigue syndrome
(referred to as myalgic encephalomyeltis in the United Kingdom) who committed suicide from morphine
overdose. She was assisted by her mother, who was subsequently charged with attempted murder, administering drugs and was eventually given a one year conditional discharge
after admitting to assisting with her daughter's suicide.
in south-eastern England
and attended schools in that area. Pictures of her exist engaged in various sports, including sailing, and she was captain of her school netball team and won prizes for ballet. She also played clarinet and piano.
Her father, Richard Gilderdale, was a police officer in East Sussex and has been latterly employed in a civilian role for the force. Her mother was an auxiliary nurse, then an accountant, but from 1992 was Lynn's full-time carer.
vaccination. Lynn Gilderdale attended school for only one or two days following this. She had a series of infections including flu, bronchitis, tonsillitis and glandular fever. The illness progressed rapidly, and from accounts by her mother, within six months "she was totally bedridden, unable to lift her head of the pillow, or care for herself in any way at all. She was tube-fed, her legs were paralysed and she couldn’t sit up. She was unable to speak, read or write and her memory had gone". At her worst, she was paralysed in all but her little finger, and suffered muscle spasms and severe light and sound sensitivity. However, certainly by mid-1993, Lynn was able to move her arms again, as she was shown doing in a documentary on ME.
Her mother stated that she and her family were commonly accused of pretending and were encouraged to make Lynn exercise; Kay Gilderdale would make Lynn walk down the road and had to carry her back. In the hospital, various tactics were used to make Lynn "admit" that she was feigning her illness, such as refusing to take her to the toilet because "she could really do it herself", with "humiliating results". She was also given a "truth drug" and asked if she had suffered abuse at home.
Lynn Gilderdale reported in 2008 that she had been sexually abused in a hospital at the age of 14; the police investigated, but made no arrests.
, to replace a Hickman line
, resulting in her ending up on life support. Her mother reported that she also suffered broken bones due to osteoporosis
. At the time, her parents "said their goodbyes" as they feared she would not survive. She did survive, but Lynn found the experience traumatic and she subsequently expressed the wish not to be resuscitated in case of future similar circumstances.
However, her paralysis partly receded, the family were able to take care of her medical needs at home and reduce her hospital admissions to two or three per year, and her memory improved, enabling her to re-learn to read and to type. She used a pocket computer to communicate with friends over the Internet.
Lynn attempted suicide in May 2007 with an overdose of morphine and an injection of air. After this failure, she later wrote, she never wavered in her desire to die. She posted an explanation towards the end of her life, explaining that she was "so very, very tired" and that her spirit was broken (see below).
Her final suicide attempt began in the early morning of 3 December 2008 when, according to the Daily Mail, Gilderdale summoned her mother by tapping on the intercom she used for that purpose. Her mother found that she had disconnected her morphine from the syringe driver and connected it to a Hickman line to be fed directly into a vein. Kay Gilderdale attempted to dissuade her by suggesting that she delay her attempt until after Christmas 2008. Lynn responded by telling her that it would never be the right time and that she could no longer tolerate the pain. Kay eventually fetched two syringes, which Lynn administered herself through her Hickman lines.
Lynn died at 0710 on 4 December 2008. Kay's prosecution for attempted murder hinged on her actions during those hours, as she gave the family doctor the impression that she had injected Lynn with air, to cause a fatal embolism
and with the antidepressant
Sertraline
. However, Lynn's body revealed no trace of the latter and Kay later said she could not remember injecting Lynn with air.
The trial itself began on 12 January 2010. The prosecution opened their case on 18 January, making the accusation of deliberate injections of air. Prosecution Sally Howes QC told the jury:
On 19 January, Lynn Gilderdale's father, Richard, who had been divorced from Kay but was still involved in Lynn's care, testified in Kay's defence. He testified that Lynn had developed a fear of hospitals after a series of incidents including the Oct 2005 Hickman line incident and had been sexually abused by a senior health professional in London. With regard to her quality of life, he replied, "It was less than poor. She had no quality of life. She couldn’t eat, she couldn’t drink." Richard Gilderdale, and Julie Cheeseman another of Lynn Gilderdale's carers, related that they had both tried to dissuade her from taking her own life. On the third day, the prosecution told the jury that Kay had searched the Internet for various suicide-related phrases in between Lynn's overdose and her death. Closing speeches were given by defence and prosecution on 23 January and Kay was acquitted of the attempted murder charge on 25th Jan.
Following Kay Gilderdale's acquittal, the judge made a statement praising the jury. Mr Justice Bean remarked: "I do not normally comment on the verdicts of juries but in this case their decision, if I may say so, shows that common sense, decency and humanity which makes jury trials so important in a case of this kind.".
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
woman with chronic fatigue syndrome
Chronic fatigue syndrome
Chronic fatigue syndrome is the most common name used to designate a significantly debilitating medical disorder or group of disorders generally defined by persistent fatigue accompanied by other specific symptoms for a minimum of six months, not due to ongoing exertion, not substantially...
(referred to as myalgic encephalomyeltis in the United Kingdom) who committed suicide from morphine
Morphine
Morphine is a potent opiate analgesic medication and is considered to be the prototypical opioid. It was first isolated in 1804 by Friedrich Sertürner, first distributed by same in 1817, and first commercially sold by Merck in 1827, which at the time was a single small chemists' shop. It was more...
overdose. She was assisted by her mother, who was subsequently charged with attempted murder, administering drugs and was eventually given a one year conditional discharge
Conditional discharge
A discharge is a type of sentence where no punishment is imposed. An absolute discharge is unconditional: the defendant is not punished, and the case is over. In some jurisdictions, an absolute discharge means there is no conviction despite a finding that the defendant is guilty...
after admitting to assisting with her daughter's suicide.
Early life
Lynn Gilderdale's family states she grew up in Stonegate, a village in East SussexEast Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
in south-eastern England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and attended schools in that area. Pictures of her exist engaged in various sports, including sailing, and she was captain of her school netball team and won prizes for ballet. She also played clarinet and piano.
Her father, Richard Gilderdale, was a police officer in East Sussex and has been latterly employed in a civilian role for the force. Her mother was an auxiliary nurse, then an accountant, but from 1992 was Lynn's full-time carer.
Onset of illness
Gilderdale fell ill in November 1991 after receiving the BCGBacillus Calmette-Guérin
Bacillus Calmette-Guérin is a vaccine against tuberculosis that is prepared from a strain of the attenuated live bovine tuberculosis bacillus, Mycobacterium bovis, that has lost its virulence in humans by being specially subcultured in an artificial medium for 13 years, and also prepared from...
vaccination. Lynn Gilderdale attended school for only one or two days following this. She had a series of infections including flu, bronchitis, tonsillitis and glandular fever. The illness progressed rapidly, and from accounts by her mother, within six months "she was totally bedridden, unable to lift her head of the pillow, or care for herself in any way at all. She was tube-fed, her legs were paralysed and she couldn’t sit up. She was unable to speak, read or write and her memory had gone". At her worst, she was paralysed in all but her little finger, and suffered muscle spasms and severe light and sound sensitivity. However, certainly by mid-1993, Lynn was able to move her arms again, as she was shown doing in a documentary on ME.
Her mother stated that she and her family were commonly accused of pretending and were encouraged to make Lynn exercise; Kay Gilderdale would make Lynn walk down the road and had to carry her back. In the hospital, various tactics were used to make Lynn "admit" that she was feigning her illness, such as refusing to take her to the toilet because "she could really do it herself", with "humiliating results". She was also given a "truth drug" and asked if she had suffered abuse at home.
Lynn Gilderdale reported in 2008 that she had been sexually abused in a hospital at the age of 14; the police investigated, but made no arrests.
Media appearances
Lynn Gilderdale appeared in the media on various occasions during her illness, and features without being named in various printed literature on CFS, such as the book "The New Plague" by Jane Colby (First and Best in Education, 1996). She appeared by name on three occasions:- In 1993, she was filmed for the Channel 4 documentary, Frontline, presented by Dr Anne Macintyre. She was shown lying in her bed with a nasogastric tubeNasogastric intubationNasogastric intubation is a medical process involving the insertion of a plastic tube through the nose, past the throat, and down into the stomach.-Uses:...
visible, using very basic gestures to communicate. Macintyre described her as "imprisoned by paralysis, mental confusion and pain" but did not discuss her specific symptoms, other than memory loss and lack of ability to swallow, in detail. - In 2001, the BBC published an interview with Kay Gilderdale with photos of Lynn. Lynn's complications, such as hypothalmic dysfunction and a blood clot on the lung, were mentioned in more detail than in 1993.
- Kay was interviewed again in 2004 by "The Courier", which may have been the Kent and Sussex Courier. An extract is available on the 25% ME Group website and it does not mention the name Gilderdale but does mention Lynn and Kay and the quote - "Lynn finished by saying, that she will keep fighting to get better and that she did not live through the last 12 years not to get well and live a proper life" - is consistent with sentiments expressed in the 2001 BBC article.
- Kay and Lynn were interviewed in July 2006 by Gill Swain of the UK Daily Mail. Lynn's symptoms were discussed here in more detail than on any previous occasion, along with the treatment that she received in the early months of her illness. Swain also wrote a reflective piece after Lynn's suicide in the same paper and interviewed Kay again around the time of her trial.
Later period of illness
Gilderdale remained bedridden, unable to speak or swallow, in constant pain and suffering other debilitating symptoms for the whole of the period from mid-1992 to her death in December 2008. She required, by her mother's reckoning, between 50 and 60 hospital admissions. On one such occasion in late 2005, her lung was punctured during an operation at Conquest Hospital, HastingsHastings
Hastings is a town and borough in the county of East Sussex on the south coast of England. The town is located east of the county town of Lewes and south east of London, and has an estimated population of 86,900....
, to replace a Hickman line
Hickman line
A Hickman line is an intravenous catheter most often used for the administration of chemotherapy or other medications, as well as for the withdrawal of blood for analysis. Some types of Hickman lines are used mainly for the purpose of apheresis or dialysis...
, resulting in her ending up on life support. Her mother reported that she also suffered broken bones due to osteoporosis
Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a disease of bones that leads to an increased risk of fracture. In osteoporosis the bone mineral density is reduced, bone microarchitecture is deteriorating, and the amount and variety of proteins in bone is altered...
. At the time, her parents "said their goodbyes" as they feared she would not survive. She did survive, but Lynn found the experience traumatic and she subsequently expressed the wish not to be resuscitated in case of future similar circumstances.
However, her paralysis partly receded, the family were able to take care of her medical needs at home and reduce her hospital admissions to two or three per year, and her memory improved, enabling her to re-learn to read and to type. She used a pocket computer to communicate with friends over the Internet.
Death
According to Kay Gilderdale:- "Although every system in Lynn’s body was badly affected, for a long time she truly believed she would recover, but gradually, as a result of chronic illness, more and more conditions were added to the already lengthy list [hypothalamic dysfunction, liver dysfunction, adrenal failure, anginaAnginaAngina pectoris, commonly known as angina, is chest pain due to ischemia of the heart muscle, generally due to obstruction or spasm of the coronary arteries . Coronary artery disease, the main cause of angina, is due to atherosclerosis of the cardiac arteries...
, renal tubular acidosisRenal tubular acidosisRenal tubular acidosis is a medical condition that involves an accumulation of acid in the body due to a failure of the kidneys to appropriately acidify the urine. When blood is filtered by the kidney, the filtrate passes through the tubules of the nephron, allowing for exchange of salts, acid...
type 1, osteoporosisOsteoporosisOsteoporosis is a disease of bones that leads to an increased risk of fracture. In osteoporosis the bone mineral density is reduced, bone microarchitecture is deteriorating, and the amount and variety of proteins in bone is altered...
, to name but a few ] and she started to say to me in her sign language, ‘Mum, you can’t fix me any more – I’m too broken, I’ve had enough’."
Lynn attempted suicide in May 2007 with an overdose of morphine and an injection of air. After this failure, she later wrote, she never wavered in her desire to die. She posted an explanation towards the end of her life, explaining that she was "so very, very tired" and that her spirit was broken (see below).
Her final suicide attempt began in the early morning of 3 December 2008 when, according to the Daily Mail, Gilderdale summoned her mother by tapping on the intercom she used for that purpose. Her mother found that she had disconnected her morphine from the syringe driver and connected it to a Hickman line to be fed directly into a vein. Kay Gilderdale attempted to dissuade her by suggesting that she delay her attempt until after Christmas 2008. Lynn responded by telling her that it would never be the right time and that she could no longer tolerate the pain. Kay eventually fetched two syringes, which Lynn administered herself through her Hickman lines.
Lynn died at 0710 on 4 December 2008. Kay's prosecution for attempted murder hinged on her actions during those hours, as she gave the family doctor the impression that she had injected Lynn with air, to cause a fatal embolism
Embolism
In medicine, an embolism is the event of lodging of an embolus into a narrow capillary vessel of an arterial bed which causes a blockage in a distant part of the body.Embolization is...
and with the antidepressant
Antidepressant
An antidepressant is a psychiatric medication used to alleviate mood disorders, such as major depression and dysthymia and anxiety disorders such as social anxiety disorder. According to Gelder, Mayou &*Geddes people with a depressive illness will experience a therapeutic effect to their mood;...
Sertraline
Sertraline
Sertraline hydrochloride is an antidepressant of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor class. It was introduced to the market by Pfizer in 1991. Sertraline is primarily used to treat major depression in adult outpatients as well as obsessive–compulsive, panic, and social anxiety disorders in...
. However, Lynn's body revealed no trace of the latter and Kay later said she could not remember injecting Lynn with air.
Prosecution of Kay Gilderdale
Kay was charged with attempted murder on 21 April 2009.The trial itself began on 12 January 2010. The prosecution opened their case on 18 January, making the accusation of deliberate injections of air. Prosecution Sally Howes QC told the jury:
- "It is the prosecution’s case that when Mrs Gilderdale realised that the two large doses of morphine that she provided to Lynn, that Lynn self-administered to try to end her life…instead of then realising that her daughter’s suicide had gone horribly wrong, she then set about, over the next 30 hours, in performing actions which were designed with no other intention other than terminating her daughter’s life."
- The further morphine, the further cocktail of drugs, the injecting of air – all designed to terminate her daughter's life. It wasn't done to make her better, it was done to make sure she died.
On 19 January, Lynn Gilderdale's father, Richard, who had been divorced from Kay but was still involved in Lynn's care, testified in Kay's defence. He testified that Lynn had developed a fear of hospitals after a series of incidents including the Oct 2005 Hickman line incident and had been sexually abused by a senior health professional in London. With regard to her quality of life, he replied, "It was less than poor. She had no quality of life. She couldn’t eat, she couldn’t drink." Richard Gilderdale, and Julie Cheeseman another of Lynn Gilderdale's carers, related that they had both tried to dissuade her from taking her own life. On the third day, the prosecution told the jury that Kay had searched the Internet for various suicide-related phrases in between Lynn's overdose and her death. Closing speeches were given by defence and prosecution on 23 January and Kay was acquitted of the attempted murder charge on 25th Jan.
Following Kay Gilderdale's acquittal, the judge made a statement praising the jury. Mr Justice Bean remarked: "I do not normally comment on the verdicts of juries but in this case their decision, if I may say so, shows that common sense, decency and humanity which makes jury trials so important in a case of this kind.".