Unnecessary Surgery Killed My Son

[Guest guest]

S

Thu, 4 May 2006 14:56:43 -0700 (PDT)

Re: Unnecessary Surgery Killed My Son

 

 

 

Unbelievable!!!! I wonder if they will have to pay the 4 Million Dollar Hospital

Bill? Imagine!!!! They will have to pay the killers too.

 

 

 

Kristin Keckeisen <ActionNetwork

wrote:

 

 

Dear B....,

 

Please read the below email from the mother of medical malpractice

victim, Michael Skolnik. As the Senate prepares for debate on

legislation that will restrict the rights of families like the

Skolniks, we need to make sure her voice is heard. Please read, post

to blogs, and forward to as many people as possible. - Kristin

My name is Patty Skolnik and my son was the victim of medical

malpractice. Please read my story and forward to others so we can

prevent this from happening to other families.

 

In September 2001 my 23-year-old son Michael passed out.

 

A CT scan showed that he might have a colloid cyst in his brain. I

consulted with a neurosurgeon, who said it was urgent to place Michael

in ICU.

 

The neurosurgeon did not mince words, claiming that Michael was

lucky he had not died when he passed out. He needed a ventricular

drain put in his skull immediately to drain cerebral spinal fluids and

would have to have brain surgery within two days.

 

Shortly after Michael arrived in his hospital room, a nurse

holding a hand drill arrived to assist the doctor in putting in the

ventricular drain. They used the hand drill to make the hole to insert

the drain.

 

Michael's three hour surgery spiraled into a six hour ordeal. The

surgeon came back and said he never found a cyst, but had to do " heavy

manipulation " of my son's brain.

 

Then he took the weekend off.

 

The neurosurgeon's pressure to rush Michael into surgery turned

out to be unwarranted, which became clear after further examination of

the CT scan.

 

We then endured a thirty-two month nightmare of brain surgeries,

infections, pulmonary embolisms, blood clots, and eventually

paralysis. Our medical bills exceeded more than $4,000,000. All

consequences of a procedure that was totally unnecessary.

 

After five months in ICU and rehabilitation, Michael was paralyzed

on one side of his body, fifty percent blind in both eyes, had no

short term memory, suffered a severe seizure disorder, and was

psychotic. All consequences of a procedure that was totally unnecessary.

 

On June 2004, Michael had a severe seizure after the attending

nurse fell asleep while she was supposed to be monitoring him. During

the seizure, Michael aspirated vomit and other fluids, which then went

into his lungs because the nurse was not available to turn him on his

side. When Michael was finally rushed by ambulance to the hospital, it

was already too late. The fluids on his lungs led to pneumonia.

 

Three days later, Michael looked his father in the eyes, mouthed

the words, " I love you, " and died.

 

Congress is about to debate a bill that would determine that my

son's life, and anyone else killed by a medical negligence is worth no

more than $250,000. Shouldn't judges and juries decide this on a case

by case basis, not Congress from Washington, DC?

 

If you believe this " one size fits all " approach is wrong, please

forward my family's story to everyone you know and tell your senator

by going to

 

http://action.peopleoverprofits.org/action/index.asp?step=2 & item=29881.

 

Please forward my story to others. I know that nothing can be done to

change what happened to Michael, but I hope that if we keep the laws

strong maybe people will be more careful in the future and no one will

ever have to go through what our family had to.