Death of hospital infection patient investigated by prosecutors

Molly Cuddihy, who has died aged 23, raised more than £300,000 to improve the lives of fellow cancer patients at Royal Hospital for Children

Prosecutors have opened an investigation into the death of a young woman seven years after she became seriously ill with an infection potentially acquired in a Glasgow hospital.

Molly Cuddihy, 23, died in the high dependency unit of the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) in the city on Tuesday.

In 2018 Molly developed septic shock while receiving cancer treatment at the same hospital campus, which is now at the centre of a public inquiry into safety issues.

BBC Scotland understands her death was reported to prosecutors by a consultant after she was admitted again last month and developed another hospital-acquired infection.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde expressed its "deepest condolences" to Molly's family but said it was unable to comment on the case due to patient confidentiality.

Molly's treatment for her previous hospital acquired infections in 2018 and 2019, as well as her chemotherapy, had left her with irreparable liver damage.

She also had to undergo a kidney transplant last November.

Taken together this meant the treatment options after Molly's recent admission to hospital were limited.

The cause of her death has yet to be established.

Three years ago Molly gave evidence before the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry about her experiences at the QEUH while undergoing chemotherapy as a teenager.

The inquiry was set up following safety concerns at the site and the deaths of two patients, including 10-year-old Milly Main in 2017.

Its purpose is to examine mistakes made in the planning, design and construction of the QEUH and another hospital site in Edinburgh.

Molly told the inquiry how she became seriously ill in 2018 from an infection acquired from an intravenous line used to administer her medication.

She said she had received a letter from the chair of the hospital board "apologising for a hospital-acquired infection", which was sent to her father in September 2018.

'Our precious girl'

On Thursday, the inquiry chairman began the day of evidence with a tribute to Molly and spoke of the inquiry team's "great sadness" at hearing of her death.

He added: "She was a young woman of great courage, great determination and clear intelligence. Our thoughts are with her family today."

Molly's family have led tributes to her, saying she was a young woman who worked tirelessly to help other young cancer patients, from fundraising to podcasting.

"It is with broken hearts that we share the passing of our beloved daughter Molly," they said in a statement.

"She was a special soul who brought light, love, and kindness into the lives of so many around her.

"What we will always treasure is the way she touched others; often without ever realising just how truly extraordinary she was."

They added her legacy would never be forgotten.

The statement concluded: "We are devastated by her loss and struggling to comprehend a world without her gentle presence.

"To us, she will forever be our precious girl: deeply loved, irreplaceable, and always remembered."

Molly (right) and her friend, Sara Millar, raised more than £300,000 for charity

Confirmation of the Crown Office investigation came less than 24 hours after her death.

A spokesman for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service said: "The procurator fiscal has received a report on the death of a 23-year-old woman in Glasgow on 26 August 2025.

"An investigation into the death is ongoing and significant developments will be shared with the family throughout the investigation."

Molly was a treated at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow and the adjoining Royal Children's Hospital

Molly, from Gourock, Inverclyde, was previously a young ambassador for the Glasgow Children's Hospital Charity and had been working as a volunteer administrator before she was admitted to the QEUH last month.

Before joining the staff in March she had raised more than £300,000 to improve the lives of fellow cancer patients at the adjoining Royal Hospital for Children.

Last year she helped launch a cancer podcast, Radio Therapy, which covered themes including mental health, body image and mortality.

Kirsten Watson, chief executive of Glasgow Children's Hospital Charity, said: "We are heartbroken at the loss of our cherished friend and colleague, Molly.

"Her devotion to helping children in hospital will always be remembered, and the courage she showed throughout her own journey will remain an inspiration to us all.

"Our thoughts are with Molly's family and friends."

Molly was preparing for her National 5 exams when she was diagnosed with a rare bone cancer at the age of 15

Molly was 15 when she was diagnosed with metastatic Ewing sarcoma, in January 2018.

Last year she told BBC Scotland News how she knew something was wrong when the radiographer started crying during her scan.

The teenager, who was preparing for her National 5 exams, was transferred to A&E.

She was then given another scan and then admitted to the Schiehallion ward at the Royal Hospital for Children, which cares for children and young people with blood-borne diseases and cancers.

While later undergoing chemotherapy in the adjoining QEUH Molly experienced "frightening" shivers that were linked to a hospital-acquired infection.

Molly was 19 when she gave evidence before the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry

In 2021 she recalled her ordeal when she gave evidence before the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry.

Then aged 19, she told how she was fitted with an intravenous line which later became infected. The infection then caused temperature spikes and fits.

Molly told the inquiry she was not long into her chemotherapy, and her body went into septic shock - a life-threatening condition which causes a patient's blood pressure to drop to a dangerously low level after an infection.

She also described shivering episodes - which caused her temperature to rise - as "crazy".

Molly met Take That star Gary Barlow at a Teenage Cancer Trust event in London

In the summer of 2018 Molly was diagnosed with mycobacterium chelonae, a bacterial infection in her Hickman line.

It was either air or water-borne and experts believed it had probably caused her temperature spikes and fits.

Molly said she had to take a "very strong" course of antibiotics she likened to bleach to treat the infection.

She told the inquiry: "The medication had horrible side-effects. I thought chemo was bad, but this was something else."

"I got a prolonged QT interval with my heart.

"This is when my heart pumps out the blood, but then doesn't fill up fast enough, so I would often collapse."

The £840m QUEH campus, which includes the Royal Children's Hospital, opened in 2015, but has faced controversy over construction and hygiene concerns.

Molly said her doctors and nurses were just as much in the dark as she was about where the infection came from.

She told the inquiry: "I was made sicker by the environment."

Earlier in 2021, an independent review found 84 children were infected with rare bacteria while undergoing treatment, with a third suffering a severe health impact.

It concluded the deaths of two children were at least in part the result of infections linked to the QEUH environment.

And after reviewing Molly's case it was deemed "possible" the infection had developed while she was undergoing hospital treatment.

Molly (second right) with the podcast team at Go Radio's Glasgow headquarters

Last year, Molly was one of eight women who shared their stories in a candid cancer podcast.

She said the series, produced by Glasgow-based Go Radio, were both cathartic for the contributors and illuminating for their loved ones.

It was funded by Every Thank You Counts, a charity set up by Molly and her friend, Sara Millar, in 2019.

Since then, it has raised more than £300,000 for a new pre-teen common room in the Schiehallion ward and ongoing improvements, such as new loungers.

Molly told BBC Scotland News one of the challenges she faced as a cancer patient was being asked incredibly personal questions.

She said: "People forget you are a person and you very much become the illness, especially when you are young."

The podcast highlighted the need for patients to "be selfish" when it comes to talking about their condition.

Molly said a simple statement from wellwishers, such as "I am thinking of you" or "I am here", goes a long way.

She added: "Sometimes it's all you want and that is such a comforting and amazing message to read."

A spokesperson for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: "Our deepest condolences are with the family of Molly Cuddihy during this extremely difficult time.

"To respect patient confidentiality we are unable to provide further comment."