A 17-year-old Boston high school student suffered a stroke during class but was unable to receive the necessary medical assistance after authorities called her mother instead of 911.
A teenage mother tied up in a wheelchair wondered why the school nurse didn’t recognize the signs of his health problems when the boy felt tired and complained that his side was numb. I’m furious.
Dandrehicks, a junior at Henderson Inclusion (High School) in Dorchester, Massachusetts became Illness when under school supervision in early May 2022.
After telling the school nurse that she felt “weak,” “trembling,” and “numb,” she called her mother, Alicia Hicks, with signs suggesting that the boy had a stroke. I ignored his mother’s request and picked him up from school. More immediate help for her child.
“He came to the nurse’s office to report that he felt weak and shivering and felt a numb weakness on his left side,” the mother said.
She remembered telling the nurse, “He will die if he strokes. They take too long to dial 911.”
Alicia was the first responder who would have arrived at the boy first, noting that the school’s top medical professionals couldn’t move fast because she was close to the school because she was trapped in a wheelchair. Claims that should have been considered.
Instead, the nurse told her mom, “Well, my expert, my medical evaluation, he doesn’t seem to need an ambulance. Someone should come to pick him up.” rice field.
Eventually, the school called 911. The school arrived 30-45 minutes after the first call to her mother, but her teens were at stake. My mom didn’t come right away, so I was called after the school contacted the children and family department.
“I heard the other sound in the background,” Alicia recalls. “The other nurse said he would call the DCF.”
When the ambulance appeared, the young man was taken to Tufts Medical Center and diagnosed with an acute ischemic stroke. The doctor used medicine to stop the stroke, but he kept the child for two days.
My mother knew it all the time and said, “I know the symptoms of a stroke. Why didn’t the nurse do it?”
Boston 25 News Report Alicia herself had three strokes in her life. She further explained that her family had a history of stroke.
“Hear that there is a small blood vessel problem on the mother’s side of the family and that an obstruction is more likely to cause a stroke. It is very important to take him to the hospital immediately as he can die. She shared.
“Your expert eyes may not be able to see the stroke,” Alicia said when she tried to tell. “I can’t see it, but if you’re told that your left side is weak, at this point I’m begging you to get together silently. Take her son to the hospital.”
D’Andre said: I was worried that I would be in a coma, such as when I fell asleep, or in the worst case, perhaps the worst. “
His mother said: His words when he was in the hospital, “Mom, I can’t believe they didn’t believe me,” she said.
Brenda Casselius, Boston’s superintendent of education, personally contacted her mother to apologize. She shared Alicia. Caserius told her that her district was already considering the case.
In a statement released by the Boston Public School, officials wanted to clarify that their primary concern was “first to the health and well-being of this student.”
“I’m glad to hear that he’s recovering well,” he continued partially. “It is inappropriate to comment further on this particular issue, as this serious case is being considered by appropriate BPS staff.”
The mother acknowledged the supervisor’s efforts, but could not help thinking that race had influenced the school’s response.
Her views on race and medical care are consistent with a recent study published by the American Bar Association on “Potential biases and racial disparities in medical care.” They claim that “blacks just don’t have the same quality of health care as whites.” Her son is proof of this.
The school also issued a statement to inform the families of student groups about the paramedics coming to campus. Instead of mentioning D’Andre’s plight, they shared with their parents that a paramedic was called in to assist a student with an episode of diabetes.
Neither the school nor the DCF issued an official statement, but confirmed that the Hicks case was being investigated.
There is no word as to whether the family will file a civil rights proceeding, claiming that his rights have been violated.