LIVEACTION.ORG – A Wisconsin family has announced plans to sue an Appleton hospital, claiming their 19-year-old daughter with Down syndrome was intentionally killed.
In 2021, Grace Schara died at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital. In a Facebook post, the Schara family said Grace had been given a do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order without their knowledge or consent. Additionally, they said Grace had been given a cocktail of drugs — Precedex, Lorazepam, and Morphine — which are known to cause hypoxia, or low levels of oxygen in body tissues.
“As Grace slipped into acute respiratory failure and Grace’s sister begged for help, instead of starting CPR immediately, the nurses refused; Grace’s physician had independently designated her as a ‘Do Not Resuscitate’ (DNR),” the family’s statement said.
“That DNR order was written without the family’s consent and in defiance of the Schara family’s express wishes that all lifesaving measures be deployed for their Down [s]yndrome daughter.”
The family has filed paperwork with the state of Wisconsin to begin the lawsuit process.
“These crimes against humanity must stop. They need to be held accountable for their actions.”
“St. Elizabeth’s not only breached the Standard of Care, but their unethical behavior led directly to Grace’s death,” Scott Schara, Grace’s father, said. “It’s clear to me that this hospital was a dangerous place for Down [s]yndrome patients like my daughter.”
In a website set up to keep the public informed about the court case, the family spoke lovingly of their life with Grace.
They say she referred to her third copy of the 21st chromosome as her “love chromosome,” and say that Grace’s Down syndrome didn’t stop her from doing anything.
Both Grace and her mother caught COVID-19 during the pandemic, and though she was doing well, the family had been monitoring her oxygen levels out of excess caution.
When they dropped below 90, they took her to the emergency room, where it was recommended that she be admitted into the hospital …
