Prosecutors are investigating the death of a woman seven years after she became seriously ill with a hospital acquired infection as a teenager.
Molly Cuddihy died on Tuesday at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, the BBC reported.
Ms Cuddihy developed septic shock while being treated for a rare cancer at the hospital, an experience she described while giving evidence to the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry.
Her death this week was reported to prosecutors by a doctor.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has expressed its “deepest condolences” to Ms Cuddihy’s family.
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said her death is being investigated.
A spokesman for COPFS, Scotland’s independent death investigation authority, said: “The procurator fiscal has received a report on the death of a 23-year-old woman in Glasgow on August 26, 2025.
“This report was made by a doctor, as they must where guidance requires them to do so.
“The procurator fiscal is examining the circumstances of this death and significant developments will be shared with the family during this process.”
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.
Ms Cuddihy, then aged 19, gave evidence to the inquiry in 2021.
She was diagnosed with metastatic Ewing’s sarcoma when she was 15 and 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, Ms Cuddihy 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.
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.
Ms Cuddihy 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.
Ms Cuddihy told the inquiry: “I was made sicker by the environment.”
Despite her illness Ms Cuddihy worked to help other young patients, and was involved in podcasting and fundraising, helping to raise hundreds of thousands of pounds for the hospital.
Ms Cuddihy’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.”
Ms Cuddihy was previously a young ambassador for the Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity and had lately been working as a volunteer administrator for it.
Kirsten Watson, chief executive of the 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.”
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.
