Latest news with #AntiphospholipidSyndrome
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Unsolved Ohio: Who killed Amy Jo Nelson? Family wants answers in 2017 homicide
NEW STRAITSVILLE, Ohio (WCMH) – After more than seven years and no arrests, the family of Amy Jo Nelson continues to demand justice in the 39-year-old's homicide. Ever since Amy was found dead in New Straitsville, a Perry County village with a population of around 650, her family has been conducting its own investigation in a search for closure. Amy's mother, Pam Nelson, described her as 'the sweetest person.' 'She had a funny personality, very funny,' Amy's sister, Abbie Vann, added. 'Even when she was upset, she would always try and joke.' Throughout Amy's life, she dealt with multiple medical conditions, including the autoimmune disorders Lupus and Antiphospholipid Syndrome. This resulted in her being placed on a variety of medications by doctors since she was 14 years old, which led to nonprescribed drug use, Vann said. Despite pushing through blood transfusions, chemotherapy, months-long hospital stays and other effects of her conditions, Amy's life was cut short on Sept. 18, 2017. Around 11 a.m. that morning, while working as a nurse, Pam received a call from Amy's phone. She stepped into the hallway and answered the call, but it wasn't Amy. The call came from Amy's boyfriend's mother, who shared news that made Pam collapse on the floor. Where Columbus drivers are likely to get parking tickets 'She told me Amy passed away in her sleep,' Nelson said. A coroner's report states someone reported the incident to 911 at 10:47 a.m., but does not specify who. Nelson and Vann rushed to the residence where Amy was found dead – an apartment on Main Street, where Amy and her boyfriend had stayed the night. Vann said the couple often crashed at acquaintances' places. When Nelson and Vann saw Amy, they said they immediately believed foul play was involved because she had injuries on her face. Nelson asked the two responding officers with the New Straitsville Police Department, an agency with a part-time chief, to reach out to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation to assist with analyzing the scene. 'I said 'Are you going to call the BCI?' after I looked at Amy and they said, 'No, there's no crime scene, ma'am,'' Nelson said. 'I said, 'You've got to be kidding. Look at her.'' Nelson and Vann speculated Amy's prior drug use may have led police on the scene to assume she died of an overdose. An autopsy revealed that Amy had both prescribed and nonprescribed medications in her system, but also confirmed the drugs did not cause her passing. Ohio again examines funding police pensions Amy's death was ruled a homicide, caused by 'repeated' blunt force trauma to the head. A Perry County coroner's report by Dr. Bradley Wilson claims Amy's boyfriend said she had 'fallen' within 48 hours of her death, but did not provide further context. 'The extensive head and brain injuries are not consistent with a simple fall and are consistent with injuries incurred by multiple blunt force trauma given the other body injuries, it appears the decedent was assaulted by another person or persons,' the report reads. Since the ruling, the BCI and Perry County Sheriff's Office have been assisting the police department with the case. Amy's family said they are meeting with a sheriff's detective each month about the investigation. Nelson and Vann point to the original handling of the scene by law enforcement as one of the main reasons they believe the case is unsolved. Nelson claimed an individual at the scene was cleaning the apartment while Amy was still lying dead on the bed where she was found, which could have resulted in destroyed evidence. 'It's frustrating how everything was handled,' Vann said. 'We wouldn't be here if it was handled correctly.' Opening statements made in Ohio doctor's defamation trial against Mount Carmel Nelson said that Amy's access to drugs attracted the wrong people into her life who 'wanted her for her pain medication.' Through conducting their own interviews and obtaining records, Amy's family has come to believe the motivation behind the homicide was related to her pills and that multiple people were involved. 'We're not stopping until we get to the bottom of it, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who killed her,' Nelson said. NBC4 reached out to the three law enforcement agencies involved in Amy's case for comment. The Perry County Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond, and the New Straitsville police chief said he has only held the position for a few weeks and deferred to the other agencies. The BCI said it is not currently actively investigating the case and also deferred to the other agencies. Amy's family is offering a $10,000 reward for any information that leads to an arrest in the homicide. They asked anyone with a tip to contact the Perry County Sheriff's Office at 740-342-4123. If you're a family member of an individual with an unsolved missing persons or homicide case in Ohio, reach out to aboldizar@ Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Edinburgh Live
30-04-2025
- Health
- Edinburgh Live
West Lothian woman living in fear of covid as she warns 'I'm the only one masking'
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info A West Lothian woman living with an autoimmune condition is calling for hospitals to be made safer for clinically vulnerable and immunosuppressed patients. Heather Pentler, 40, has Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS), a disorder of the immune system that causes an increased risk of blood clots. She was diagnosed at 27-years-old and has been undergoing long-term treatment for 13 years. The 40-year-old is now urging the public to to support a petition calling for new measures to protect vulnerable patients from airborne infections in healthcare settings. People with APS are at greater risk of developing conditions such as deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a blood clot that usually develops in the leg, arterial thrombosis (a clot in an artery), which can cause a stroke or heart attack and blood clots in the brain, leading to problems with balance, mobility, vision, speech and memory. Heather said: "Having APS puts me at increased risk of blood clots. 'Covid-19 is linked to clotting events so contracting covid is a particular risk to me with my condition. Unfortunately, the place where I am most likely to catch covid is when I attend medical appointments. 'The most unsafe day I have to go through is when I'm supposed to be getting the care and treatment to keep me safe in hospital. Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages 'When I go to get the infusion of my immunosuppressive treatment, I am on the ward for around six hours. I am the only one masking and there are no air filters to remove any airborne viruses from the air. This makes it very difficult for me to eat or drink during those six hours. 'I have to take my own personal air filtration system with me, so that I can have a drink during those six hours and try to remain safe from infection while doing so.' The petition, started by Janet Newsham, Chair of UK Hazards Campaign, is calling for a precautionary approach using infection prevention and control measures to protect all patients and NHS staff, but particularly those patients like Heather, who are at greater risk from infection. In the first few months of 2025, the UK was gripped by a 'quaddemic' of flu, covid, norovirus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Many hospital trusts across the country declared critical incidents, asking people to stay away from A&E units for non-urgent treatment and asking them not to visit if they had symptoms of viral illness and to mask if they did have to come to the hospital. Covid remains a threat all year round compared to the flu and RSV which are mainly seasonal. 'I don't have the confidence to ask medical staff to mask for me,' said Heather. 'I believe that mirroring (medical staff asking a masked patient if they would like them to wear a mask too) would be a good option. But I have never had a doctor offer to wear a mask when they are with me. 'However, air filters would be the best solution going forward. Air filters can clean the air of many airborne viruses, including covid and flu, so therefore would benefit all patients and help to avoid sickness for NHS staff too.' In recent months, evidence given at the Covid Inquiry has questioned why the government's messaging on how Covid spreads, has focused strongly on hand-washing and wiping surfaces, rather than delivering the correct information that Covid-19 is primarily an airborne virus (aerosol spread). In 2025 mask wearing for healthcare workers is currently not mandatory and guidelines tend to vary between Hospital Trusts around the UK. Seasonal stresses such as the winter crisis experienced this year, can also affect masking recommendations. Air filtration machines were placed in Covid wards and the air quality analysed with the machines switched on for a week, off for a week, and then on for another week. The team found that with the machines on, it removed almost all traces of airborne SARS-CoV-2. Janet Newsham said: 'There are many airborne risks especially in healthcare which are ongoing and should and can be prevented, reducing the risks for patients, visitors and staff. 'HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filters can help to clean the air on wards and in high risk areas. 'The UK Government and Parliament petition calling for these measures is one way that the public can let the government know that they want to be protected from airborne infections, while accessing healthcare.'
Daily Record
29-04-2025
- Health
- Daily Record
West Lothian resident calls for hospitals to be made safer for immunosuppressed patients
A West Lothian resident is calling for hospitals to be made safer for clinically vulnerable and immunosuppressed patients. Heather Pentler is urging the public to support a petition calling for new measures to protect vulnerable patients from airborne infections in healthcare settings. Heather, 40, has an autoimmune condition called Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS), a disorder of the immune system that causes an increased risk of blood clots. She was diagnosed with the condition when she had a pulmonary embolism at the age of 27, so has been on long-term treatment for 13 years. People with APS are at greater risk of developing conditions such as deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a blood clot that usually develops in the leg, arterial thrombosis (a clot in an artery), which can cause a stroke or heart attack and blood clots in the brain, leading to problems with balance, mobility, vision, speech and memory. 'Having APS puts me at increased risk of blood clots' said Heather. 'Covid-19 is linked to clotting events so contracting covid is a particular risk to me with my condition. Unfortunately, the place where I am most likely to catch Covid is when I attend medical appointments. 'The most unsafe day I have to go through is when I'm supposed to be getting the care and treatment to keep me safe in hospital. 'When I go to get the infusion of my immunosuppressive treatment, I am on the ward for around six hours. I am the only one masking and there are no air filters to remove any airborne viruses from the air. This makes it very difficult for me to eat or drink during those six hours. 'I have to take my own personal air filtration system with me, so that I can have a drink during those six hours and try to remain safe from infection while doing so.' The UK wide petition to 'Introduce new air quality and PPE rules for health and social care settings' can be found at The petition was started by Janet Newsham, Chair of UK Hazards Campaign, and is calling for a precautionary approach using infection prevention and control measures to protect all patients and NHS staff, but particularly those patients like Heather, who are at greater risk from infection. In the first few months of 2025, the UK was gripped by a 'quaddemic' of flu, covid, norovirus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Many hospital trusts across the country declared critical incidents, asking people to stay away from A&E units for non-urgent treatment, also asking them not to visit if they had symptoms of viral illness and to mask if they did have to come to the hospital. Although flu and RSV are mainly seasonal, Covid remains a threat all year round. 'I don't have the confidence to ask medical staff to mask for me,' said Heather. 'I believe that mirroring (medical staff asking a masked patient if they would like them to wear a mask too) would be a good option. But I have never had a doctor offer to wear a mask when they are with me. 'However, air filters would be the best solution going forward. Air filters can clean the air of many airborne viruses, including covid and flu, so therefore would benefit all patients and help to avoid sickness for NHS staff too.' In recent months, evidence given at the Covid Inquiry has questioned why the government's messaging on how Covid spreads, has focused so strongly on hand-washing and wiping surfaces, rather than delivering the correct information that covid-19 is primarily an airborne virus (aerosol spread). In 2025 mask wearing for healthcare workers is currently not mandatory and guidelines tend to vary between Hospital Trusts around the UK. Seasonal stresses such as the winter crisis experienced this year, can also affect masking recommendations. Air filtration machines were placed in Covid wards and the air quality analysed with the machines switched on for a week, off for a week, and then on for another week. The team found that with the machines on, it removed almost all traces of airborne SARS-CoV-2. Janet Newsham said: 'There are many airborne risks especially in healthcare which are ongoing and should and can be prevented, reducing the risks for patients, visitors and staff. 'HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filters can help to clean the air on wards and in high risk areas. 'The UK Government and Parliament petition calling for these measures is one way that the public can let the government know that they want to be protected from airborne infections, while accessing healthcare.' Don't miss the latest news from the West Lothian Courier. Sign up to our free newsletter here .
