Lachlan Cook inquest: Former school principal’s message to parents after diabetic teen’s death
A former school principal has shared a message to the loved ones of a diabetic teen who became seriously ill on an overseas trip and later died.
A former school principal has shared a touching message in court to the family of a diabetic teen who died when he became seriously ill on an overseas school trip.
Melbourne teen Lachlan Cook was 16 when he went on a school trip to Vietnam in September 2019.
The Kilvington Grammar student, a type 1 diabetic, started vomiting on the trip and his blood glucose levels spiked. He was rushed to a hospital in Hoi An when he was found unresponsive.
Lachlan suffered a cardiac arrest but never recovered. He was flown back to Melbourne and died in hospital on October 4.
A coronial inquest is probing how his diabetes was managed on the trip, what the procedures were and whether he should have gone to a doctor sooner.
His former principal Jon Charlton on Monday shared a message to the teen’s family.
“We wish again to express our sincere condolences to all Lachlan’s family and friends for the devastating loss,” he said.
“Lachlan was an outstanding individual who is missed by all. He was very kind, compassionate and considerate of others.”
The teen “lived with courage and determination”, the former principal said.
“We are truly sorry for his loss.”
During the inquest he was questioned about staff experience on the trip, how the school managed the teenager’s diabetes and what was expected from the company that organised the trip.
Lachlan’s mother Kirsten McMahon earlier this month told the inquest that he was a sporty teen who was diagnosed at a young age. His approach to the diagnosis was to manage it and “get on with life”, she told the inquest.
But when she got the call that he was unwell, she told staff to watch his glucose levels.
“If I had been told Lachlan had been vomiting for 24 hours, I would've insisted he go to hospital,” she told the court.
The inquest continues.