PROSECUTORS have launched an investigation into the death of a Scottish hero cancer campaigner after she became seriously ill from an infection she got in a Glasgow hospital.
Molly Cuddihy tragically died on Tuesday at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, seven years after she first fell ill.
Her family have said they have been left ‘devastated’ by her death[/caption]
She passed away seven years after she became seriously ill from an infection she got in the hospital[/caption]
The 23-year-old was being treated for a rare cancer at the scandal-hit hospital in 2018 when she developed septic shock.
The incident is at the centre of a huge public inquiry into safety issues, and Molly previously described her experience whilst giving evidence.
Three years ago, she told the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry that she developed the infection from an IV line that was used to manage her medication.
Molly was admitted back to the hospital again last month after developing another hospital-acquired infection.
According to BBC Scotland News, a consultant reported Molly’s death to prosecutors this week after she sadly passed away in the hospital’s high dependency unit.
Molly was left with irreparable liver damage after receiving chemotherapy, as well as treatment for two hospital-acquired infections in 2018 and 2019.
We are devastated by her loss and struggling to comprehend a world without her gentle presence
Molly’s heartbroken family
In November 2024, she also had to undergo a kidney transplant, which meant that she had limited treatment options when she was admitted again last month.
However, the cause of her death has yet to be established.
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) has confirmed that her death is being investigated.
A COPFS spokesman 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.”
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.”
The Scottish Hospitals Inquiry is currently investigating the construction of the QEUH campus, which includes the Royal Hospital for Children.
It was launched in the wake of deaths linked to infections, including that of 10-year-old Milly Main.
To us, she will forever be our precious girl: deeply loved, irreplaceable, and always remembered
Molly’s heartbroken family
Molly, then aged 19, gave evidence to the inquiry in 2021.
She was told she had metastatic Ewing’s sarcoma when she was 15 years old.
And she told the inquiry she experienced “frightening” fits that were linked to a hospital-acquired infection.
She was cared for at the Royal Hospital for Children and QEUH in Glasgow between January 2018 and 2020, where she was fitted with a line for treatment.
Not long into her chemotherapy, Molly said her body went into septic shock – a life-threatening condition that happens when your blood pressure drops to a dangerously low level after an infection.
What is the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry and what is it covering?
THE long-running Scottish Hospitals Inquiry is a public investigation into safety and wellbeing issues at two major Scottish hospitals.
Former health secretary Jeane Freeman ordered the public inquiry in September 2019, and the first hearing began in 2021.
Proceedings were significantly disrupted and delayed, and were eventually resumed in September 2024, with its final report expected at the end of 2026.
The inquiry is examining issues at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) campus in Glasgow, the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People (RHCYP) and Department of Clinical Neurosciences in Edinburgh.
The inquiry was ordered by the Scottish Government following the deaths of three patients linked to bird droppings and the water supply at the scandal-hit QEUH in 2018 and 2019.
And the mum of a cancer-hit schoolgirl who died at the site in 2017 begged for answers from the probe.
Kimberley Darroch’s daughter Milly Main, 10, died when a catheter giving her drugs became infected.
The probe, which is fully funded by the Scottish Government, will also look into flaws in the design of the mothballed Sick Kids Hospital in the capital.
And it will examine the impacts of the issues from both hospitals on patients and their families – and look into whether the sites provide are suitable for delivering safe and effective care.
The young patient was soon diagnosed with Mycobacterium chelonae, an infection in her line that she later discovered came from the hospital environment – air or water-borne – and that 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.”
She said the doctors and nurses were just as much in the dark as she was about where the infection came from.
Molly told the inquiry: “I was made sicker by the environment.”
What we will always treasure is the way she touched others; often without ever realising just how truly extraordinary she was
Molly’s heartbroken family
Despite her illness, Molly worked to help other young patients, and was involved in podcasting and fundraising, helping to raise hundreds of thousands of pounds for the hospital.
Molly’s family paid tribute to her in a statement released to the BBC.
They said: “It is with broken hearts that we share the passing of our beloved daughter Molly.
“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: “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.”
The Scottish Hospitals Inquiry is also investigating the construction of the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People, and Department of Clinical Neurosciences, in Edinburgh.
A consultant reported Molly’s death to prosecutors this week[/caption]