Darlene & Margie

Our daughter, Margie, was overdosed at the hospital where she was a chronic-care patient on a ventilator...the error caused her to have Cerebral Palsy and developmental delays (she was just 12 1/2 months old). The hospital said the trouble was "septic shock", but our cousin (a neonatologist in another state) reviewed the information we sent and helped us to ascertain that it was an error in the delivery of a medicine.

We then made the mistake of telling the hospital that we knew what had happened, and we suggested that we would sue for a huge sum if they did not send her home on the ventilator with nursing staff. The story is much more detailed, of course. The hospital made MSBP accusations against us and called in Social Services. We had to go to court to get Margie home (after we gained custody, again). We got her home, and Margie is doing very well.

Perhaps I should have mentioned that, after the error in care, Margie was put onto an antiquated ventilator which constantly malfunctioned. WE were blamed for the malfunctions, which is the reason the hospital used to justify having called in Social Services. It is a miracle Margie lived through it all!

The saving grace was that we had called Social Services in our county a month earlier to ask how we could force the hospital into releasing Margie to our home with 24-hour nursing care...which would have been a cheaper and healthier option. They said they could not help us, but that contact went in our favor. So did the fact that we refused to let the hospital turn off life support when they showed us Margie's flat EEG's. We had insisted that killing our child was not in our job description... it was up to God to take her when He was ready. Social Services saw that we had had the opportunity and refused it.

Social Services became our allies, but we still had to go through psychiatric testing and court appearances ($8,000 in lawyer's fees). We also supported another family through the Munchausen accusations and court appearances. Their daughter has an inborn error in metabolism which had caused her illnesses. She is now home and doing well.

I am taking the time now to write because I don't want you to think you are alone...the hospital can be a nasty place, and they play politics with families far too often. It is unforgivable.

"For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for evil; plans for a future and a hope." Cling to Jeremiah 29:11 It saw us through.

Blessings,
Darlene

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