Editors Note: Although unbelievable to most, this story of 12 year old Helenor Bye is one that I believe is repeated daily over and over and over by hospitals around the world. I personally know of a recent case in the area where I live. I have a close friend who himself is an MD and his wife who experienced this same kind of butchery with their son who had been in a serious automobile accident. Their story has some of the same elements of lies and deceit as did Helenor’s story. His organs were being stolen by this central Texas hospital, while at the same time the parents were being told he was still in intensive care and alive.

Hospitals which we would hope are trustworthy institutions where we entrust our lives and the lives of our loved ones have often fallen into the hands of doctors and administrators who care only about the millions of dollars that organ harvesting will bring in. This simple element of greed brings into question whether the very best effort is being given to save the life of a loved one or less effort is made because of the potential million dollar harvest in the event of death, especially in the case of young trauma patients. I won”t go into any further details here since the case is now or  soon will be in litigation, but be forewarned of the possibilities. 

Ben Taylor, Editor Silver Bulletin

Now Helenor’s Story:

By Christina England

Helenor Bye was just twelve years old when she was experimented on and killed in a drugs trial being carried out in Wales in 1977. In a bid to cover up the truth, the hospital butchered her little body and stole her organs, telling her parents that she was still alive. Today, three decades on, her parents are still fighting for justice for their beloved daughter, who just weeks before she died had presented a bouquet of flowers to the Queen.

22nd February 2013, BBC Dorset reported a national audit in 2012 found police forces had kept almost 500 body parts from cases dating back to the 1960s. Mr. and Mrs. Bye are hoping that this discovery will enable them to finally bury the remaining body parts of their daughter Helenor, who died in suspicious circumstances whilst in hospital in 1978. (1)

In 1977, twelve year-old Helenor Bye was misdiagnosed with epilepsy and given Sodium Valproate (Epilim in the UK, or Depakote in the US), which was on trial in the UK at the time. (2) She later died a slow and agonizing death caused by toxic poisoning. If this was not enough, she had all her vital organs stolen for testing, in a bid to cover up the truth. Her family has been trying to get justice for their daughter ever since.

Helenor Bye was full of life and had a great sense of fun. Her family and friends remember her as a compassionate, caring child and it was her enduring ways that led her to be chosen out of thousands of local children, to present the Queen with a bouquet of flowers at her Silver Jubilee held at Caerphilly Castle on June 27, 1977.

In July 1977, a few days after playing in a public paddling pool, Helenor became ill and was taken to Bridgend Hospital by her parents Derek and Joan Bye with a suspected bladder infection. Dr. Trevor Hyfyn Jones, the paediatrician treating Helenor arranged for her to have an IVP, (an intravenous pyelogram) telling her parents it was ‘normal procedure’ to find out if there was any underlying problem with Helenor’s kidneys. What her parents did not know was this procedure was very dangerous and could lead to serious side effects.

On 22nd February 2013, BBC Dorset reported a national audit in 2012 found police forces had kept almost 500 body parts from cases dating back to the 1960s. Mr. and Mrs. Bye are hoping that this discovery will enable them to finally bury the remaining body parts of their daughter Helenor, who died in suspicious circumstances whilst in hospital in 1978. (1)

In 1977, twelve year-old Helenor Bye was misdiagnosed with epilepsy and given Sodium Valproate (Epilim in the UK, or Depakote in the US), which was on trial in the UK at the time. (2) She later died a slow and agonizing death caused by toxic poisoning. If this was not enough, she had all her vital organs stolen for testing, in a bid to cover up the truth. Her family has been trying to get justice for their daughter ever since.

Helenor Bye was full of life and had a great sense of fun. Her family and friends remember her as a compassionate, caring child and it was her enduring ways that led her to be chosen out of thousands of local children, to present the Queen with a bouquet of flowers at her Silver Jubilee held at Caerphilly Castle on June 27, 1977.

In July 1977, a few days after playing in a public paddling pool, Helenor became ill and was taken to Bridgend Hospital by her parents Derek and Joan Bye with a suspected bladder infection. Dr. Trevor Hyfyn Jones, the paediatrician treating Helenor arranged for her to have an IVP, (an intravenous pyelogram) telling her parents it was ‘normal procedure’ to find out if there was any underlying problem with Helenor’s kidneys. What her parents did not know was this procedure was very dangerous and could lead to serious side effects.

Within hours Helenor became seriously ill and her parents were advised by the general practitioner’s (GP) to take Helenor back to Bridgend hospital. At the hospital, Helenor’s condition quickly deteriorated but despite the couple’s desperate pleas Helenor did not receive any treatment. Mr. Bye alerted the doctors to the possibility of inflammation to the brain and asked for an EEG to be done as soon as possible. The hospital’s response was cold and harsh and he was rudely informed that this would take weeks to arrange.

A Deadly Diagnosis

Helenor remained in the hospital for a total of five days. Her parents were told on the fifth day to take their daughter home. When Mr. and Mrs. Bye asked what was wrong with their daughter, no one was able to give them a satisfactory answer. Instead, they were ordered to carry on giving their daughter the drug Epilim (Sodium Valproate) to control their daughter’s epileptic condition?!!

Mr. Bye trained and experienced in working with those suffering from epilepsy questioned the doctor’s diagnosis and asked Dr. Jones how he had been able to diagnose the condition without performing a full EEG examination. Instead of receiving a polite explanation the family were threatened and told that if they did not agree to the prescription of Epilim, Helenor would be removed from them by social services.

Faced with the prospect of losing their daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Bye requested a second medical opinion but this request was denied under the threat of intimidation. The

Bye family left the hospital after Dr. Jones reluctantly agreed to monitor Helenor’s progress on a monthly basis. Dr. Jones only agreed to this however, if the Bye family agreed to maintain a dosage of 800mg per day, telling them that it would be dangerous to withdraw the drug or stop it instantly.

It was not revealed until twenty-four-years later that during her five day stay in hospital Helenor had been prescribed Valium and Mogadon and taken to Glanrhyd Hospital for a full EEG examination.

The EEG report dated 18.7.77 states:

“Abnormal recording generalised dysrhythmia increased by overbreathing possibly due to low grade encephalitis.”

According to the Bye family, the low-grade encephalitis was caused as result of the IVP which paediatrician Trevor Jones concealed by falsely diagnosing Helenor with epilepsy.

Forced to Watch Their Daughter Die

Mr. and Mrs. Bye said that from this point they watched their beloved daughter

Helenor progressively deteriorate as she began to suffer the horrendous side effects of

Epilim. Within weeks, Helenor began to suffer from sleeplessness and coordination problems. Despite this and the fact that Helenor had lost a lot of weight due to continuous vomiting, the paediatrician advised her parents that this was nothing to worry about and her body was adjusting to the medication.

The truth was that Helenor was slowly being poisoned to death and her symptoms were an early sign that she was extremely ill, something that should have been obvious to Dr. Jones had he read the product insert for Sodium Valproate (Epilim) which states:

• Liver problems and problems of the pancreas may show as a sudden illness which may happen in the first six months of treatment. This happens in a very small number of people taking Epilim Chrono. It includes feeling and being sick many times, being very tired, sleepy and weak, stomach pain including very bad upper stomach pain. (3)

Instead of recognising the documented adverse reactions to Epilim however, Dr. Jones (Epilim) decided to blame Helenor’s severe weight loss on the slimming disease anorexia nervosa and psychiatric problems referring her to a psychiatrist!

On Friday, April 21, 1978, Helenor, emaciated and weighing a mere three-and-a-half stone, was taken back into Bridgend hospital, with Epilim poisoning. (Hospital records record Epilim toxicity.)

Dr. Jones, obviously realising his error immediately withdrew the drug, despite knowing that this was dangerous!
Doctors Weekend Off Proved More Important Than His Patient

On the advice of the ward sister, Mr. and Mrs. Bye privately contacted Professor Peter

Gray, University Hospital of Wales who agreed to transfer Helenor to his care. In desperation, Mr. Bye phoned Dr. Jones to arrange the emergency transfer. The paediatrician however, refused the transfer, stating, “It’s my weekend off.” Mr. Bye told me that Dr. Jones continued by adding:

“There is no emergency attached to her medical condition. Her medical records are not up to date. I will review the matter on Monday.” [April 24, 1978]

This so called ‘non emergency’ was a little girl weighing just over 3 stone, barely clinging on to life. By Sunday 23rd April 1978 Helenor had fallen into a deep coma. Frantic attempts were made to contact Dr. Jones as the ambulance was ready and waiting to take Helenor to Cardiff. Eventually, after numerous phone calls, Dr Jones reluctantly arrived at the hospital at 11:15 pm with the medical notes, but continued to argue with the ambulance crew over his own personal travel arrangements, before finally agreeing to Helenor’s transfer.

Helenor’s mum traveled in the ambulance while Mr. Bye followed in the family car.

Mrs. Bye told me during an interview:

“I was holding Helenor’s hand but I could get no response. I knew at that moment that my beautiful daughter had already died.”

When they arrived at Cardiff, Professor Gray was waiting for them. He took one look at his patient and cried, “Oh, my God. Emergency, emergency, intensive care, intensive care.”

Helenor was immediately taken to the intensive care unit. The early hours of Monday, April 24, was the last time that Joan and Derek saw Helenor.
Body Parts Stolen to Cover up Medical Malpractice

On April 24, 1978 Professor Peter Gray informed the Cardiff Coroner that Helenor Joyce Bye was clinically dead on arrival.

However, the Bye’s were told a different story because that same day paediatrician, Dr Corrie Weaver informed Mr. and Mrs. Bye that Helenor was dangerously ill in intensive care and that they were doing their utmost to save Helenor’s life. This same paeditrician then requested signatures from the Bye’s for clinical biopsies to be carried out over the course of the next three days on Helenor’s liver, kidneys and brain.

Mrs. Bye refused to sign the forms because she knew deep down that her daughter had died in the ambulance. Mr. Bye, however, still clinging to the extremely slim chance that the hospital staff was telling the truth agreed to sign the paperwork.  He said:

“Finally, at 3:30 pm on Thursday, April 27,1978, Dr. Corrie Weaver informed us that everyone at the hospital had done all they could to save Helenor’s life and the coroner had been informed that her life-support machine had been switched off. We were even denied our rights to say goodbye to our beloved daughter.”

Helenor’s medical records clearly state that she died on the April 24, 1978, so why were Mr. and Mrs. Bye lied to and why was Helenor kept alive artificially for three further days? More importantly why did her medical records released years later under FOIA state: April 27, 1978,  “Discussed case with Mr Weeks [neuro surgeon] and Professor Gray, for coroner’s permission to send brain to neuro pathologist in Bristol [Dr Bromwell}  Brain death certain"?

It was not until the Byes went to say a final farewell to their beloved daughter at the chapel of rest that the true extent to the hospitals betrayal hit them. With tears in his eyes Mr Bye told me that:

"As I lifted my daughter's head to kiss her goodbye, I noticed something was not quite right. Instead of her lovely curly hair I could feel staples at the back her head. As I looked at her body in more detail I was filled with horror when it dawned on me that I was not burying my beautiful daughter, I was burying her carcass because it was obvious that all of her vital organs were missing!"

It is now 35 years later and every single avenue has been blocked. Mr. and Mrs. Bye have been threatened and even arrested for trying to get justice for their daughter. Mr.

Bye told me that they have had a total of three funerals to date but still have not buried their entire daughter. They know without any doubt that Helenor was used as little more than a guinea pig in a drug trial for a disorder that she never had in the first place. Her organs, they believe, were stolen to find out what effects the evil drug Epilim had on them, and of course, without her organs, it would be practically impossible to determine how Helenor Bye died.

The post-mortem showed Helenor's organs were normal, however, due to the fact her brain had already been removed this organ could not be examined?

Rule 3[c] of the Coroner’s Rules 1953 which states:

“If the deceased died in a hospital, the coroner should not direct, or request, a pathologist, or staff of, or associated with that hospital, to make a post-mortem examination, if the conduct of any member of the hospital staff is likely to be called into question.”

This meant that no further post-mortems could be carried out.
Dr Jones Rubs Salt in the Wounds

Even though Dr. Jones was said to be responsible for the misdiagnosis and death of an innocent child this did not prevent him from exploiting her tragic death for his own gain and in 1980 he published an article in the Lancet. (4) He wrote:

“A twelve year old girl presented in July 1977, with a clear history of temporal lobe epilepsy confirmed by EEG.”

Although this of course was a lie as he made one fatal error. He wrote:

“The post-mortem findings suggest that this child may have had a sodium valporate induced secondary hyperammonemia”.

This admission meant that he had always known that Epilim caused Helenor’s death.

In 2006 BBC Dorset reporting the case wrote:

“An inquest in 1980 ruled out epilepsy, finding Helenor died of hyperammonemia – a type of ammonia poisoning that caused all her organs to fail.” (5)

The Epilepsy Societies table of anti-epileptic drugs use for adults clearly states in the section on side effects:
Sodium Valporate

“Nausea, stomach upset, diarrhoea, and weight gain (due to increased appetite), increased levels of ammonia in the blood, and reduced platelets in the blood.”(6)
Conclusion

It is doubtful that Mr. and Mrs. Bye will ever get the justice they deserve. Helenor’s life was stolen from her in a series of medical blunders and cover-ups, leading to fraud, as the authorities desperately tried to cover up and disguise the truth of what happened. Helenor’s body was cruelly stripped of every single organ that could identify the cause of death, without her parents consent. Her devastated parents have being trying to locate their daughter’s organs ever since to give Helenor the funeral she deserves. Despite being knocked back time and time again Mr. and Mrs. Bye still fight for justice and have dedicated their lives to supporting others.
Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Derek and Joan Bye for allowing me to write Helenors tragic story and supplying me with all the documentation that I required.
References

1.  22nd February 2013 BBC Dorset – Police Kept Body Parts Without Informing Parents http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21544227

2.  1975 A Richens Controlled trial of sodium valproate in severe epilepsy

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1675109/pdf/brmedj01471

-0017.pdf

3. Epilim product insert

http://www.medicines.org.uk/EMC/medicine/10912/XPIL/Epilim+Chrono/

4. In Memory of our Beloved Angel Daughter

http://www.angelfire.com/poetry/helenor/ See bottom of page for Lancet 1980

5. BBC News Grief over Child’s Fourth Funeral http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5277580.stm

6. Epilepsy Society http://www.epilepsysociety.org.uk/AboutEpilepsy/Treatment/Antiepilepticdrugsusedinadults
GMI PRO MEMBERSHIP
christina.england@btinternet.com

Christina England was born and educated in London, U.K. She received an A Level in Psychology and a BTEC in Learning Disabilities. She has spent many years researching vaccines and adverse reactions. She has an  HND in journalism and media and is currently writing for the American Chronicle, the Weekly Blitz and Vaccination Truth on immunization safety and efficacy.

http://silverbulletin.utopiasilver.com/the-story-of-helenor-bye/