My mom lived with me and was in good health with minor problems for 84 years. She was not feeling well around the week of March 23rd, 2021. I called the Dr. who thought it was Covid, but would not see her. Her chest was not feeling right about 2 weeks prior, but she had said she wished the Dr. would see her instead of virtual. She was not really complaining, but she just said she did not feel right.

Around March 25th, I called her Dr. and he put her on an antibiotic. On March 27th, I called to him to say her pulse ox was below 90 and he requested we go right to emergency. My mom wanted to wait until Saturday which is when I took her, after monitoring her during the night. She only complained she just was not feeling right, but not in distress. I dropped her in emergency not knowing it would be the last time I would see her. They would not allow me to go in with her.

She was admitted, tested positive for Covid and “Covid” pneumonia. They started her on what I perceived to be a low dose of antibiotic. She was eating, feeling better, and calling/talking to family and friends on the phone.  After 2 days when I called, they had moved her to the Covid floor and said she was having some trouble with bleeding. I was monitoring her test results online which were fluctuating. NO ONE ever called me even though I told them I was her medical power of attorney and would be involved in all aspects of her health. I tried to tell them she had recently started Warfarin and had a most recent schedule of daily doses and they told me they would take care of it.

Skipping ahead a few days later, they gave her too much and then needed to back track by giving mega doses of Vitamin K to stop the bleeding. They never followed what I told them based on her home Dr. info. So after the 2 days of her sounding fine, they moved her to isolation and I called 2x a day. I specifically told them to call me for everything and refused to give them permission without my consent. I was yelled at by a nurse for calling “too much”.

They put her on oxygen and then told me they wanted to give her Remdesivir because that was all that was approved. I asked for Ivermectin or Hydroxy and the Dr. told me Remdesivir is the only medicine they are allowed to use and works on Covid. I specifically said, according to the CDC, Ivermectin is shown to work and was on the website which I read. He told me that was wrong and he was only going to give her Remdesivir which I asked about the side effects and he said there were NONE. He did tell me she was not bad and did not want to put her on a ventilator but instead oxygen/vapotherm.

She was starting to feel better by the 30th which is when they told me her pneumonia was not that bad and wanted her on Remdesivir for Covid. Her pulse ox was even improving so I did not understand the need. I was starting to learn about Remdesivir and did not want her on it, but it was so new I was afraid I was wrong. At this point, I was asked to bring some of her favorite things to snack on. Nothing I brought and dropped off were ever touched. The bag was exactly as I left it.

My mom specifically asked for her rosaries and they were placed on her hands the day she died, but never had them before because there was one phone call we were permitted. When she took a turn downwards after she started Remdesivir, I told the Dr. I wanted her home to be with her family if she worsened. He assured me he would. I called every day to speak with her and was told her phone was broken and asked for her to use her cell phone. The nurses always told me when they went in they would tell her, but NEVER did. I complained about the broken phone and it NEVER got replaced.

On Easter Sunday, I demanded a virtual call with her and the family. They told me they would find a phone and we called. The nurse stood next to her without a mask which was odd and no body coverings. My mom looked sad and scared-did not have her rosaries as I know she would. They never took her off the machine so she could speak. It was heartbreaking. I tried to call the Dr. and finally hours later, got him and he told me she was deteriorating.

Again, I told him I wanted her home and he ignored my pleas. I called on April 5th and the Dr. told me she was in distress during the night so they gave her Morphine. I asked why I was not called and he never answered me. I called the nurses station and of course they told me they felt it was best. At this time, he told me she was unresponsive and to prepare for end of life. I screamed that I wanted her home so we arranged for hospice to come, signed papers and she left for the hospital. She called me and told me it was too late to bring her home. At this point my daughter, myself, and my husband went to the hospital and was greeted by a nurse who said she just passed.

I am trying to locate my documentation so I am a little unsure of exactness. I recently moved so I need to find them. We got there by 4:15 and was told she had passed 15 minutes prior. We asked to go in and they refused. We put up a fuss and they called the head of the hospital who let us in. She was warm and had bruises all over her body. I asked for an autopsy and they refused.

They never called me all week, but I called and told them to hold her because I arranged for an independent autopsy and next thing you know, I had 3 people calling me after 11 at night. They asked a lot of questions and seemed nervous I was getting an autopsy. There was only 1 authorized person in NJ permitted to do an autopsy at this time during Covid. I was also locked out of her files online. I requested an immediate meeting with head of nursing, head of the hospital and Dr. Santora who was the hospitalist for my mom. They agreed and told me I did have access to her medical records and changed it so I could access. I explained everything and got a heartless oh well.

I also asked for the death certificate to be changed. She was 84 and they said she was pregnant. They also put the wrong time on her death certificate and they refused to change it. They did eventually do an amendment because they said it was too difficult to change and only took out the pregnant part. They also put down that she had a history of pulmonary embolus, tachycardia, Coumadin coagulopathy which she did not have a history of any of these. They screwed up with Coumadin and never responded to me.

I was able to retrieve all of her medical records and got no real answers to anything. I found out through her records she also had sepsis. All of her organs shut down. This is an abbreviated version, but was a nightmare. I believe she was murdered and was left to die alone which no one deserves. They ignored all of my requests as her guardian and did whatever they wanted. They were cruel and heartless and because they answered to no one they got away with murder and no one cared.

When I called to speak with her, they told me she didn’t want to talk and I know, as her only daughter who was very close, she would NEVER not want to speak to me. I asked the nurse to remove the breathing machine and she refused just enough to talk and answer questions. I don’t know why she had to stay there for the one and only conversation. Something was wrong. The Autopsy Dr. stated he could not do her brain because the virus lived there and that makes me wonder if they found a way to kill her knowing it would never be checked.