Indiana girl, 11, beat cancer... but nurse made a terrible mistake that ended up KILLING her
An 11-year-old girl who just beat cancer was about to get another chance at life, but a nurse took that from her after prescribing her a lethal dose of morphine.
Ava Wilson, of Crown Point, Indiana, was in remission from b-lymphoblastic leukemia in October 2020 when she went for a follow-up appointment at Advocate Children's Hospital in Oak Lawn, Illinois - about 45 minutes outside of Chicago.
Her 'outlook was positive' and 'she had no detectable leukemia in her blood' at the time, according to Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C., the legal team representing her family.
But during her visit on October 29 of that year at the children's hospital, Wilson was 'crying in pain' and 'had difficulty walking and foot drop,' the attorneys added.
Tests soon revealed she has low platelet counts, low blood cell counts, high liver enzymes and low blood pressure.
Wilson was then discharged from the hospital with instructions from a nurse practitioner to take 15 milligrams of morphine every four hours - triple the amount of her past prescriptions.
A nurse also increased her gabapentin prescription, which is a nerve pain medication used to treat seizures, CBS News reported.
About 36 hours later, on October 31, Wilson died in her sleep at home from acute drug toxicity from several substances, 'including lethal levels of morphine', hydroxyzine and gabapentin.
Her devastated parents went on to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the hospital, noting Wilson's oncologist did not examine their daughter, but instead turned to the nurse's 'at-home pain management plan' instead, the filing, reviewed by the Sun Herald, read.
'Instead of admitting Ava to the hospital to get her blood pressure, heart rate and pain levels within acceptable and normal limits, Advocate employees sent Ava home with an excessive [amount of] pain medications,' Matthew L. Williams, the family's lead attorney, said.
'Ava's body was yelling out to these clinicians, "help me!", and they just ignored it.'
On Thursday, the jury awarded her family $20.5million in damages following the civil trial.
'While nothing will ease the depth of Ava's loved ones' pain, the family appreciates that the jury recognized that Ava's death was preventable and that she should still be with them today,' attorney Aaron Boeder said.
In response to the recent settlement, Advocate Children's Hospital told Daily Mail: 'Our hearts go out to this family. We are committed to providing appropriate care to every patient.
'Due to patient privacy, we are unable to comment further.'
Her mother, Pamela Wilson, has remembered her late daughter as the 'light of my life.'
'She was an amazing little girl, just so beautiful, full of life, very kind and generous,' Wilson told CBS News.
'When you lose a child, your life stops.... So, there's relief, but there's also a sense of - my life really hasn't changed.
'Ava's still not here. She's not gonna be around, you know, her siblings aren't gonna have her, I'm not going to have her,' Pamela added.
Ava was the oldest of her three siblings, according to her obituary.
She loved playing soccer, was involved in the Science Olympiad and was also an Honor Student. Wilson also enjoyed taking cooking and art classes at the local YMCA, it added. A funeral service was held for her on November 7, 2020.
She loved playing soccer, was involved in the Science Olympiad and was also an Honor Student.
Wilson also enjoyed taking cooking and art classes at the local YMCA, it added.
A funeral service was held for her on November 7, 2020.
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The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
11-year-old in remission from leukemia went to the hospital in pain. The prescribed morphine then killed her
The family of an 11-year-old girl who died after surviving cancer was awarded $20.5 million after a jury determined prescribed morphine ultimately killed her. Ava Wilson's family filed a lawsuit against Advocate Health and Hospitals Corporation following her death in 2020. On October 31 of that year, Ava died in her sleep 'due to acute combined drug toxicity of morphine, hydroxyzine and gabapentin, the family's attorneys at Salvi, Schostok and Pritchard P.C. said this week. The lawsuit claimed she had lethal levels of morphine in her system. Ava had been discharged from a clinic in Illinois 36 hours before her death. While there, the child was 'crying in pain' and 'had difficulty walking and foot drop,' attorneys said. Medical staff ran tests that later showed Ava had low platelet counts, low blood cell counts, high liver enzymes and low blood pressure, the release stated. Her attorneys claimed her blood pressure had not been rechecked before she was discharged. 'Instead of admitting Ava to the hospital to get her blood pressure, heart rate and pain levels within acceptable and normal limits, Advocate employees sent Ava home with excessive pain medications,' Matthew L Williams, the lead trial attorney, said in a release. 'Ava's body was yelling out to these clinicians, 'help me!', and they just ignored it.' A nurse practitioner at the clinic prescribed Ava 100 mg of gabapentin to be taken three times a day and 15 mg of morphine to be taken every four hours as needed, according to the civil complaint obtained by The News & Observer. The child's oncologist did not examine her but endorsed the nurse practitioner's recommendation. 'Prior to this appointment, all of Ava's prior morphine prescriptions to be taken at home were for just 5 mg. (The nurse practitioner) also increased Ava's gabapentin prescription and sent her home. When taken together, the medications can make each other stronger,' according to a news release from the law firm. In a written statement, Advocate Health And Hospitals Corporation told the newspaper, 'Our hearts go out to this family. We are committed to providing appropriate care to every patient. Due to patient privacy, we are unable to comment further.' Ava had been in remission from B-lymphoblastic leukemia. A news release from the attorneys said her 'outlook was positive' and 'she had no detectable leukemia in her blood.'
Times
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- Times
Dr Anne Merriman obituary: doctor known as ‘mother of palliative care in Africa'
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In 1990 she accepted an invitation to become the first medical director of the Nairobi Hospice, only to leave quickly because of 'bureaucratic interference'. A case history she published in Contact, a World Council of Churches journal, secured her future in Africa. Describing a terminally ill patient who had a pain-free, peaceful death, it attracted invitations from several African countries who wanted to develop palliative care services. She chose Uganda as it was emerging from 25 years of war and reeling under the HIV crisis. Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu (obituary, December 27, 2021) said in 2018: 'Anne has created a uniquely African template of love, dignity, care and compassion for people.' Nominated for the Nobel peace prize in 2014 and appointed MBE, Merriman protested that 'caring for the dying is the lowest priority in healthcare because doctors are trying to cure, not to care'. She lived in a large house overlooking Lake Victoria with her 'family', including three housekeepers and 15 dogs, once led by Adam and Eve. When Eve died she declared that Adam was grieving and found him a new partner. A warm, welcoming hostess, she was renowned locally for her Tuesday night dinners where 12 or more guests would include local dignitaries, visiting specialists and overnighting donors and volunteers. But she could also, as she put it, create a frosty atmosphere in a tropical climate. In one notable case, she highlighted the tragedy of Robert, a terminally ill 12-year-old boy with a huge cancer, a Burkitt's lymphoma, on his face. Robert slept under a counter in his aunt's shop and Merriman regularly took him to the hospice for a change of scene. He grimaced in pain as they drove across the many potholes along the way. Merriman said: 'After his [Robert's] death, the President of the USA, Bill Clinton, visited Uganda … They levelled the road so he wouldn't get a bump on the bum. The Roberts of this world do not count. But Presidents do. How sick is that?' Anne Merriman, doctor, was born on May 13, 1935. She died from respiratory failure on May 18, 2025, aged 90
Daily Mail
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Ben Askren's wife provides emotional health update on his condition - after former MMA star was unresponsive in hospital after contracting pneumonia
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