Kate Marie Sylvia’s mother Kathryn Sylvia gives evidence in blood clot death coronial inquest

A doctor told a young woman she was too young to be having a stroke, a court has heard – as one of her final, harrowing texts was read out.

A doctor told a 32-year-old woman she was too young to have a stroke, and to go home and “sleep off” a migraine days before she died, an inquest has heard.

On Tuesday, Deputy State Coroner Naomi Kereu heard the opening of an inquest into the death of Kate Marie Sylvia, a 32-year-old woman originally from Millicent who worked in the Pembroke middle school library.

Kate Sylvia died of a brain issue after being sent home from a GP and told to take Panadol. Picture: Supplied by Family

Kathryn Jean Sylvia, Kate’s mother, was the first witness called to give evidence into the five days of December 1 to December 6, 2021 – when Kate died.

Ms Sylvia told the court a doctor at a Hospital Avoidance and Supported Discharge Service in Sefton Park had informed her Kate was too young to have a stroke.

“(The doctor at HASDS) said, ‘Look, statistically, people in their 20s and 30s don’t have strokes’,” Ms Sylvia said.

Ms Sylvia said the doctor had diagnosed her “kind, sweet” daughter with a migraine, and told her to go home to “sleep it off”.

Parents, Katheryn and Neil Sylvia leave court after the first day of a Coronial Inquest into their daughter, Kate Sylvia’s, death. Picture: NewsWire / Roy VanDerVegt

Kate had been looking after her parents’ cat on December 1, 2021, while they were away in Mildura saying goodbye to a family member in palliative care, and came down with a “sudden stabbing headache”.

Ms Sylvia said she called an ambulance for her daughter, who texted she was ‘sorry, migraine pain, agony, dying on bathroom floor’ and was taken to HASDS.

On December 2, Ms Sylvia took Kate to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital as her nausea, head pain, light sensitivity and slurred speech progressed, while she quickly developed spasms in her left hand and leg.

Kate and her parents were at the QEH for 12 hours – five were spent waiting for a transfer to the Royal Adelaide Hospital to investigate a blood clot in her brain and multiple bleeds.

When they arrived at the RAH around 3am, her parents showed a doctor Kate’s current medication – for anxiety and contraception prescribed a week prior – which had been found in her home.

Kate Sylvia was a “kind” and “sweet” woman who did not let her dyspraxia stop her enjoying life. Picture: Supplied by Family

“(The doctor said) ‘what medication is she on’ and I said ‘these, we just brought them from home’ and he looked at the pill packet and went, ‘it’ll be that’,” Ms Sylvia said.

“He picked it up and looked at it and said ‘it’ll be that’.”

Outside of court, Ms Sylvia told media the system had “failed” her daughter, and she hoped the inquest would cause changes across all areas of health that “failed” Kate.

“I think the system failed her multiple times,” Ms Sylvia said.

“If the system hadn’t failed her she would still be with us today, she shouldn’t have died.

“I’m hoping there will be some big changes that will happen to ensure this can’t happen again.”

The coronial inquest continues.

Originally published as Kate Marie Sylvia’s mother Kathryn Sylvia gives evidence in blood clot death coronial inquest