The tragic story of 17-year-old Jack Dunn from Porth, Wales, is one that has left his family, medical professionals, and the entire community wondering how such a heartbreaking mistake could have occurred. Jack was a bright and kind teenager who loved spending time with friends and had big dreams for his future.
But everything changed in 2019 when he suddenly began suffering from intense abdominal pain so severe that he could barely stand up straight. To his family, this was immediately alarming. Jack had always been healthy and rarely complained about feeling unwell, so the sight of him doubled over in pain was a clear indication that something serious was happening within his body.
His parents quickly decided to take him to the emergency department. As they helped him into the car, Jack struggled to walk, clutching his stomach. He told his father that the pain felt unlike anything he had ever experienced before.
His breathing was shallow, his face pale, and his voice weak. Every mile of the drive felt longer than the last as his parents feared the worst but hoped for the best, trusting the hospital would provide the answers they so desperately needed.
Upon arriving at A&E, the medical team carried out several routine checks. Nurses recorded his vitals, ran a bladder scan, and tried to rule out appendicitis — a common cause of sudden abdominal pain in teenagers. However, the results weren’t clear. Despite Jack’s worsening pain and trouble breathing, the doctor on duty diagnosed him with a severe case of constipation. He was given laxatives and sent home with instructions to rest and stay hydrated.
This diagnosis shocked Jack’s parents. They instinctively felt something was wrong, but they trusted the medical professionals. They had come to the hospital expecting urgent answers, but instead left with uncertainty and medication that did little to address the real cause of Jack’s suffering.
As they returned home, Jack’s pain didn’t improve. If anything, it grew worse.
Throughout the night, Jack’s symptoms worsened. He struggled to take full breaths, feeling as if his chest was tightening. His energy levels plummeted, and he became increasingly disoriented. At times, he seemed panicked — not out of fear, but because his body was beginning to shut down. The hospital had suggested that anxiety might be causing his shortness of breath, so the family tried to calm him and help him stay relaxed.
The most heartbreaking part of this story is that Jack wasn’t suffering from constipation or anxiety. He was experiencing a medical emergency: diabetic ketoacidosis, a condition that can silently develop in young people with undiagnosed type 1 diabetes.
Without insulin, the body begins breaking down fat at an alarming rate, releasing acids called ketones into the bloodstream. As ketone levels rise, the blood becomes toxic, and life-threatening complications can occur. The symptoms Jack showed — severe pain, rapid breathing, extreme fatigue — were textbook signs of this condition.
Jack likely didn’t know he had diabetes. Many teenagers don’t. And because no glucose test was performed in the hospital, the truth remained hidden. Tragically, this failure to detect the condition in time cost him his life.
The next morning, Jack failed to wake up. When his father entered his bedroom to check on him, he found his son unresponsive. The shock and devastation that followed changed the Dunn family forever.
A Preventable Death and a Family Fighting for Awareness
After Jack’s death, doctors confirmed that diabetic ketoacidosis had caused his passing. The grief felt by the Dunn family was compounded by the fact that the condition is highly treatable when caught early.
A simple blood glucose test — which only takes seconds — would have detected dangerously high ketone levels. Immediate treatment with insulin and fluids could have stabilized Jack’s condition within hours. Instead, the warning signs were ignored, and a life that could have been saved slipped away.
Kieron, Jack’s father, later spoke publicly about his anguish. He described the moment he realized his son was gone as the most painful experience of his life. The family had trusted the medical advice they received, believing the professionals had conducted all necessary tests. But as they learned more about ketoacidosis, they realized how easily Jack’s condition could have been detected.
In interviews, the Dunn family emphasized how devastating the doctors’ assumption of anxiety was. Jack’s difficulty breathing wasn’t psychological — it was a direct result of his organs shutting down as acids built up in his bloodstream. Had this been recognized sooner, immediate treatment could have saved him.
The symptoms of diabetic ketoacidosis — intense thirst, frequent urination, nausea, abdominal pain, rapid breathing, and confusion — often appear suddenly, particularly in teenagers who may not know they have diabetes. Because these symptoms can overlap with those of common illnesses, they are sometimes overlooked. This is why Jack’s family believes raising awareness is so important.
They now share his story widely, not just to honor his memory, but to help prevent similar tragedies. Their mission is to encourage families and healthcare providers to consider diabetes when faced with unusual or severe symptoms.
They also advocate for hospitals to conduct routine glucose testing when patients present with unexplained pain, breathing difficulties, or signs of dehydration.
Today, Jack is remembered as a compassionate young man whose life was tragically cut short by a preventable medical error. His story continues to reach thousands of people around the world, sparking conversations about the importance of early screening and better vigilance in emergency care.
The Dunn family’s message is simple, powerful, and deeply emotional:
“If just one extra test had been done, our son might still be here today.”
Through their efforts, they hope to ensure that no other parent has to endure the unbearable pain of losing a child to something that could have been detected — and treated — in time.
Jack’s legacy now lives on in the lives he may save through awareness, education, and the courage of a family determined to turn their grief into purpose.
