BroadwaybabytoA 24 year old Indigenous Canadian woman named Heather Winterstein died of sepsis after ER staff dismissed her repeatedly and labeled her as a homeless addict.
There’s an inquest into her death that shows her falling to the floor in the ER and still being ignored.
Bias, bigotry, misogyny and racism can determine the care you receive in the hospital .
I was Heather’s age when I experienced a life threatening complication after my hysterectomy
Like her I was sent home from the ER multiple times
Told I was exaggerating.
Attention seeking
Deemed a trouble maker
On my fourth visit my then boyfriend had to carry me in because I couldn’t even sit up
He had to raise his voice and cause a scene
He said he was refusing to take me home to die, and he firmly believed that’s what would happen
Triage called security who threatened to call police
They would rather arrest him than treat me
Thankfully a doctor heard him yelling and came to look in on me and instantly realized something was wrong
Within hours I was being rushed to a larger hospital for emergency surgery
I had been bleeding internally the entire time and developed a huge infected abscess
Had they treated me earlier, my survival odds would have been much better
Instead I very nearly lost my life and ended up spending a month in the hospital
I was one of the lucky ones
No one’s survival should ever be based on luck, race, money or privilege
Yet more often than not those things determine who lives and who dies
My heart is heavy for Heather and all who knew and loved her
We must do better
We must believe and listen to patients
We must strive to treat everyone equally
#disability #chronicillness #ableism #eugenics #healthcare #bias
Hacker News
Alissa Azar
