Tonight, the medical community and the wider community are in tangles after 1 year 11 month old Kimorah Leslie died early Saturday morning. On Friday night, we showed you her agonizing distress as she was in urgent need of surgery to replace a malfunctioning shunt which would release the build-up of fluid in her head. At the time our story was airing Kimorah was at the KHMH undergoing treatment at the hospital's emergency unit after suffering cardiac arrest. She did not survive and now her family simply cannot understand why a breakdown in relations between the KHMH administration and two of its neurosurgeons led to the death of a loved one.
Shawn Lemott, Kimorah's Grandmother
"Little did I know that the cries Kimorah gave on Friday about, well the cries heard Friday on the news Friday would be the last cries for Kimorah and I hope it doesn't happen to nobody else's children because things like this really hurt, it really hurt. Nobody knows the sleepless nights we have. We haven't eaten, we don't even have the urge to do anything because we are so hurt over the baby death. And especially when we watched the last piece of the news on Channel 7, those were the cries of death, the last cries the baby gave. It was like the baby was partly asking for help and nobody paid my grandbaby any mind. They don't care about life. What happened to the rights of a child? What happened to th4 rights of a child to eat, to live, to sleep? What happened to the rights of a child? People don't think about those things anymore, look how someone's innocent baby just died just like that."
Shawn Lemott is angry today as she remembers the last images and sounds of her
granddaughter as she put it crying out in pain and for help. But after trying everything in their power Kimorah's family were unable to help her.
Shawn Lemott,
"From Tuesday my daughter took my granddaughter to the emergency room at Karl Heusner and two doctors, I don't want to call the name, but two doctors told my daughter they don't have any neurosurgeon there and we can't do nothing for the baby and so good luck. I feel like all of this could have been avoided because Kimorah only needed one simple surgery, just to repair the shunt, one simple surgery which only would have taken one day and it really hurts to see that my loved one had to die just because of one surgery and it could have been avoided."
Avoided because she says the lack of communication between the KHMH and its neurosurgeons caused Kimorah's death.
Shawn Lemott,
"I don't really know who to blame because if the KHMH had the shunts and the things the baby needed, when the baby had stabilized the doctor would have been able to do the surgery because Dr. Lara wasn't working but he came in anyway to assist the baby but the man didn't have anything to use. The only thing he could use...he took a syringe and took out some of the fluid from the baby's head.
She went just like that, because of their simple behavior, they act like children. If they know they are not responsible to be in the position they have, they should step down and put who qualify to do it, do it. Well I think the person who should ensure the hospital has all the instruments needs is fully responsible for my granddaughters death because the doctors cannot work with their two long hands, they need instruments and equipment to work it. If the equipment was the hospital my granddaughter never had to die and I am angry and hurted."
But even through that hurt and anger Lemott is able to ask that Kimorah's death not be in vain.
Alfonso Noble,
What would you expect that anybody, anywhere, learn from this?
Shawn Lemott,
"Learn from this? Well just don't depend on Karl Heusner on any type of medical help because KHMH because you will die. I hope Kimorha's death be an example. I hope it be an example to the doctors who took the oath to save life and to the administration of the hospital that they know they should have equipment and things to use when people are sick. That is their job, that is the duty they are there for."
And even though that's what they are there for those who could have helped, simply didn't, now it's left to be seen if this child's needless death will be enough to stop to finger pointing and start the rebuilding of the country's only neuro-surgery unit.
