Cathleen Luwisch

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Our mom was 64 years old and in generally good health. She fell ill over the weekend (August 2013) with vomiting. After 2 days with no improvement and seeming suddenly disoriented, my dad called 911. The ambulance arrived and loaded my mom in. She had a tachycardia episode requiring medication to steady her heart rate and blood pressure. At around 6:30 am she was admitted to the ER and diagnosed with low potassium and dehydration. We knew something was not right.

They sent her upstairs to a general recovery floor to wait for the potassium and hydration to kick in. She had multiple signs of sepsis and even though protocol was in place and an alert was given, the doctor IGNORED it and missed our chance. Hours later a rash developed on my mom’s torso which finally caught the doctor’s attention and she was sent immediately to the ICU. She coded on arrival and had to be intubated. High doses of antibiotics were started and from then on things deteriorated. After 4 days of trying everything, our lovely mom passed away.

Please push and advocate for yourself and loved ones. Doctors , nurses, and protocols don’t always know everything or work properly.

In loving memory of our dear sweet Mommy. <3

Source: Lauren Luwisch Bhothipiti (Cathleen's daughter)

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