Many days I want to just walk away from this fight (medical
negligence). I look at it and say, “Dear
God, the apathy is so great and the officials are so corrupt. How on earth will
your children find justice? How can we
stop the destruction of another life when there is so much money involved;
consequently, many officials will look the other way because they are
benefactors. Dear Jesus, how do we fight
against such?”
At the moment I am ready to throw in the towel, I read about
another victim: a child, a father, a mother, etc. and I am reminded of where I
was in October of 2007. The day my
13-year-old daughter’s life was forever changed due to a preventable medical
error. At that moment, I pull myself
together, ask God to forgive me for whining, and start again at writing and
sending out my book to officials praying that it gets to the right one. The one who will stand with the many victims
of these heinous acts to create a national standard that will protect all
patients across this nation from medical negligence.
There have been enough forums and hearings on preventable
medical errors (medical negligence). Now,
there needs to be action taken to stop these horrendous acts. We know that millions are affected each year,
of these, approximately 440,000 thousand die and many others are left disabled. Consider that this number is just an account
of hospital errors, and does not account for those that occur in doctor’s
offices. If these acts were being committed
in another country, it would be broadcast across the U.S. media and we would
feel obligated to act because we stand for “Human Rights,” but it is happening
right here and we are moved to do nothing, but hold meetings. How can this be so?
Only a few states have dared to tackle this beast.
California has Proposition 46 on the November ballot and, oh, the political
pundits have made it sound like this proposed legislature will do harm to
doctors. Asking for accountability does
not create a hardship to the medical community, it blocks the heart ache and
the devastation created by a profession that lacks responsibility. I applaud California for taking it on, but my
daughter’s basic human rights were violated at the age of 13-years-old as a
patient in Idaho. This should also be on the floor of the U.S. Congress and
Senate because of the widespread violation of patients in this country.
If you wonder why others and myself keep pounding on the
same brick wall, it is because we believe that at some point the blow will be
hard enough to break through. That
someday a politician with enough courage will do more than talk, and will help
us create a national standard for the medical profession. One where medical records cannot be
manipulated after a grave error has been committed and where criminal laws are
applied to such an offense. One where
medical boards will be held responsible when they continue to allow negligent
medical professionals to retain licenses when they know full well that these
individuals are harming patients. This
is why I keep writing and others like me are speaking out, writing, and
pleading for our Senators and Congressmen to do something.
Many days I long for the normal life I once had. I often wonder where I stood before this
day. I ask myself, did you look and walk
away. But, I really had no clue of the
injustice. A person’s life can be
destroyed by the health community that is purportedly there to help preserve
it, and that this very community then becomes the predator and the patient the
prey. The injured has to be painted as
misguided or delusional in order for the medical professional to preserve his/her
status. In my daughter’s case, of course
they had done all they could, including changing medical records to undermine
me. I was painted as the misguided
mother.
As the numbers show, many people are added daily to the list
of patients affected by preventable medical errors. I have joined with others on Facebook who
want to stop the list from growing. You
can find me and many others who are taking a stand against medical negligence
in ProPublica Patient Harm Community and NAMMV (National Association for
Medical Malpractice Victims), Truth In Medicine, and many other groups, these are just a few. Not one
more family should suffer this devastation, when elected officials have the
power to reform the laws pertaining to medical negligence. Stop by and see what happens when there is no
accountability. Great harm is done from
a profession that takes an oath to “Do No Harm.”
It would be remiss of me not to mention that there are many
in the health profession who are responsible. Who work hard and have helped
families like mine to recover from the damaging effect of broken systems. Yet, there are also those in the profession
who witness the actions of the negligent monsters, like the one that nearly
killed my daughter, and are quiet. I ask
this question of them, how much more are you responsible for knowing and not
reporting it.
I was catapulted into this fight in October of 2007, and as
much as I would like to throw in the towel, I cannot because the cause needs as
many voices speaking out as possible. My
faith tells me that my presence here is for a reason. If you are reading this, your voice could
help. Share this post and spread the
word. Patient’s lives are being destroyed
due to preventable medical errors at an alarming rate in the U.S. and we want
our elected officials at the national level to take action. Enough forums, hearings and meetings have
been held on medical negligence. Now, please, take action to stop the death and
disabling of American citizens in this country from this grave injustice.
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