My sister Gladys has never had any prior heart or health issues besides renal failure. She was in hospital care for a few hours before her heart stopped. The hospital claims that she had a heart attack. At the age of 23 with no prior cardiovascular health issues, this was difficult to believe.  

For the next two months, the hospital neglected my sister and never bothered to engage with our family to shed clarity on what occurred that day. We have filed multiple reports of neglect to administration, yet it seems as if everyone looked the other way. Shortly after, Gladys was transferred to a nearby nursing home where she only lasted six days before being admitted back into the hospital. It was discovered by family that her body was covered in bruises and marks of neglect following her stay at the nursing home. 

As of now, my sister Gladys is still a patient at the hospital, where we are very concerned for her safety due to previous experiences. Recently, an electroencephalogram was conducted and results showed that there was evidence of past brain damage that had occurred in her previous care facilities and now new brain damage was occurring. The hospital has recommended that Gladys be discharged to a nursing home, but with previous negative experiences, we are very hesitant and worried about her health and safety. We want a fighting change for Gladys and to provide her proper care. To return to the nursing home makes our family feel as though the hospital has requested that we disconnect her. 

In addition, there has been a lot of inconsistency between hospital staff on my sister’s mental state due to the brain damage found.  I am sharing my Sister’s story in hopes that instances of neglect similar to Gladys’ story do not go unnoticed and to shed light on the lack of transparency in our current healthcare system.