06/06/2023
Samuel Wade Wardrop was a loved and cherished 3-year-old, who was full of joy and s***k. In his short life he overcame many prejudices and medical challenges. So, who would have imagined that the very medical professionals and equipment his life depended on would have been slowly killing him?
You see, Samuel was born with a 47th chromosome, a condition similar to Down syndrome, but known as Trisomy 18 (or Edwards syndrome). Despite being wanted and valued by his parents, the medical community considered him “incompatible with life.” Thus, his parents were forced to advocate for his every care, even to the point of going out of state for life-saving heart-repair surgery, at the tender age of ten weeks old.
Thanks to the wonders of modern medical technology, Samuel was able to receive the hydration, nutrition, and oxygen necessary for life, growth, and healing, through a feeding tube and ventilator. However, it was his ventilator that ultimately caused his death, over a period of 10 months of neglect and misuse by the very medical professionals tasked with his care.
After about a year of successful ventilator use, Samuel’s Respiratory Therapist switched him to a ventilator that was NOT prescribed by the doctor. Two months later, a new Respiratory Therapist, who had admittedly not been trained on this particular ventilator, assumed care of Samuel. Thus, without securing doctor’s orders specific to the new ventilator, he blindly inputted the settings prescribed for the previous ventilator. This error went unchecked for an additional eight months, at which time the Pulmonologist made every effort to correct the consequences. However, the ventilator was also found to have a software defect and the damage to Samuel’s lungs (from receiving adult ventilator volumes for 10 months) was irreversible, so he ultimately succumbed to pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary hemorrhage.
Now, you would think that in a society which highly values “choice,” that parents’ “choice” to value and cherish their own flesh and blood child would be respected and upheld at all cost. But, such is NOT the case!!! In fact, not only was Samuel’s life cut short by medical prejudice and neglect, but his family is also being denied the satisfaction of a legal inquiry, because even in death he is considered “unworthy.”
Samuel’s family has 10 days left on the statute of limitation, so if you are or know of an attorney, licensed to practice in the state of Utah, who is willing to defend Samuel’s value and dignity to life, THEY NEED YOU NOW!!!