Stephen Salmon

My husband Steve Salmon was a high school special education math teacher in the inner city. He loved being a teacher, and was driven to help poor kids have better lives. He was well loved by his students, who kept in touch with him long after graduation. Steve was brilliant and so funny; he loved puns. He was also deeply religious, went to Mass daily, read his Bible and prayed for hours each day. He was the best, kindest, and most decent man I’d ever met. We were together over 30 years.

Around his 56th birthday, he’d developed a mystery infection that didn’t respond to standard antibiotics. Steve’s doctor wanted more detailed tests done to identify the exact bacteria involved. This would require hospitalization for observation and probably IV antibiotics. His doctor suspected strep.

When Steve had the next flare-up, his doctor told us to go to the emergency room. Steve had vomiting, diarrhea, brown sputum, a fever of 104+ and chills. We got in quickly, special biohazard protocol.

The woman treating Steve ridiculed him, calling him a hypochondriac looking to get out of work. She refused to do the tests his doctor wanted, and only gave Steve an IV of ringer’s solution for dehydration and some Motrin for fever. When Steve stabilized at 99 degree temp and stopped vomiting, he was discharged. We were only at the emergency room 4 hours total.

The few tests that were done didn’t come back until after Steve was discharged, some didn’t come back until after his death. Although Steve tested positive for MRSA, we weren’t called to bring him back, and no tests were done to identify the exact bacteria he’d been battling. (Sepsis and MRSA)

Steve felt a bit better, and wanted to finish the last days of the school year. When I picked him up at work, he was exhausted and wanted a nap before dinner. He was going to pray a rosary and rest.

When I checked on him later, he was gasping, his eyes rolled back and coughing brown foam. I called 911. The EMTs refused to work on Steve, and Steve died in front of me.

Steve’s autopsy showed he had pneumonia from a strep D infection. (Sepsis and Pneumonia) If he’d gotten the treatment his doctor wanted, in a timely manner, he could have survived. I learned that the woman who treated Steve at the ER was only a physician’s assistant. No doctor was consulted, and Steve’s doctor was never called.

Source: by Anne Lowe-Salmon (Steve's wife)