Matthew Eappen’s parents, Deborah and Sunil Eappen are part-time ophthalmologists and anesthetists. Heartbroken by their son’s loss they went on to establish the Matty Eappen Foundation.
The couple said in a statement at the time of the organization’s creation, This foundation was founded in his memory to enhance the safety and welfare of children by teaching the public about the hazards of shaking a kid and providing assistance to victims and their families.
When teen nanny Louise Woodward was accused of shaking the eight-month-old to death, the shocking story of Matthew Eappen grabbed headlines throughout the world.
Deborah And Sunil Eappen- Matthew Eappen Parents
After meeting in medical school, Sunil married his wife Deborah in 1990. He was born and raised in Chicago, where his father worked as a pediatrician.
After that, he became an anesthetist at a Boston hospital. Brendan, the couple’s first son, was born in 1994, and they chose to hire an au-pair.
Deborah Eappen was a working mother who continued to work part-time as an ophthalmologist after the birth of her first child. Because she was pregnant with Matthew, she turned down a chief residency at the New England Medical Centre and a fellowship at Boston’s Children’s Hospital.
After Matthew’s death, she received hate mail from those who blamed her for her son’s death because of her profession.
Where Is Matthew Eappen’s Family Today?
Following the tragedy that befell the family, Deborah and Sunil established the Matty Eappen Foundation.
The foundation was established at Boston Children’s Hospital, the same medical facility where Matthew spent the final days of his brief life. Their mission is to raise awareness of child maltreatment, namely the shaken infant syndrome, and to combat it. Dr. Sunil and Dr. Deborah are still practicing medicine.
Dr. Deborah Eappen is an ophthalmologist in Wellesley, Massachusetts, and Dr. Sunil Eappen is an anesthesiologist in Boston, Massachusetts.
Both Deborah and Sunil are still practicing medicine, with Dr. Sunil working as an anesthesiologist in Boston and Dr. Deborah working as an ophthalmologist in Wellesley.
What Happened To Matthew Evans?
In February 1997, Matthew Eappen went into a coma and died five days later from a fractured skull and brain hemorrhage.
The case became a circus because the British press accused Massachusetts of imprisoning Woodward in a dungeon, dubbed the Framingham Women’s Prison.
Since then, the cause of Matthew’s death has been a point of contention. The prosecution said Woodward shook Matthew forcefully in an angry, dissatisfied, and resentful anger, while the defense argued Matthew’s injuries were months old.
The shaken baby syndrome is a term used to describe a set of signs and symptoms that occur when an infant or young child’s head is violently shaken or shaken and impacts.