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1. Lester Murray

Lester wrote: "My father was chained up 24/7 for being a wanderer. My Mum and I worked two eight hour shifts and he was chained up while we were absent. At the same time, former NDP MPP Frances Lankin found her mother chained up in Toronto. While I was threatening to go to the media--if my father was a dog the SPCA would arrest the CMH staff, if my father was a child Children's Aid would arrest the CMH staff, if my father wasn't so old there isn't enough staff to chain him up--Lankin researched what other jurisdictions do and found that Ontario was by far the worst in elderly abuse."

3. Marnie Hunt Brown

9:10pm Jul 7

I had my tubes tied at 23. Too young I know. It was done with plastic and titanium filshie clips and one had come off and had migrated and was digging into my ovary. (Sorry for graphics.) My periods were loads of very large black blood clots and was extremely painful. I went to a GP and told him my symptoms. He said "You are constipated" I said " Of course Im constipated, Im living on Panadine Forte!" He said "you need to see a bowel surgeon" I said " I need a gyneocologist" He referred me to the bowel surgeon. I went and saw her and said "These are my symptoms and I need a Gyno" She referred me. I went to the Gyneocologist and he said "Youre constipated" I said "Of course Im constipated, Im living on Panadine Forte" He said "You need a colonoscopy" No one is listening to me???????
I go back to the bowel surgeon. She says "Everyone should have a colonoscopy after 40 and have one every 5 years after that" She convinced my partner Bill that it was "a walk in the park" Her words. I eventually agreed she could take a look but NO BIOPSIES!!! Bill backed me up and reiterated to her NO BIOPSIES!!! She put a camera down my throat as well but never at any time did she tell me she was going to do this, and took a total of 16 biopsies which she sent to a pathologist in Tamworth! Why Tamworth? I live in Grafton. He must be her mate!!! I woke up from the operation in extreme pain. They sent me home anyway and as the bitch (what I call her) had conviced Bill "it was a walk in the park" he thought I was a big whinger so he dropped me home and went to the pub. I went to bed. When I woke up I was in excrutiating pain. I ran to the loo and then was stuck there in too much pain to move. I called out to Bill to bring me a bucket which he did and I proceeded to throw up half a large horse food bucket with fresh blood and blood clots. Bill rushed me back to hospital with half of the blood contents in a large olive jar. No one wanted to look at it!!! No one did pathology on it!!! I got an Indian doctor who could NOT speak English and he tried to tell us I had Giardia which is a water borne parasite that DOES NOT MAKE YOU VOMIT BLOOD!!! We told him Id just had a colonoscopy/ gastroscopy 12 hours ago, but he was adament it was Giardia. Of course he took a pathology test for Giardia which came back negative..Daaaa. The (bitch) bowel surgeon arrived. Not for me, she was just passing through but Bill grabbed her. She said "You are just different to everyone else" - Her professional opinion! I asked her "why am I vomiting blood?" She said " I dont know, Im really busy, I have to go" That was the last time I ever saw her. She did not arrange a follow up appointment. The doctors then put me on Tramadol at the hospital as I was still in the same original pain, as well as a new pain, and Tramadol does not affect the lining of the gut like Panadine Forte. I went back to the gyno and said I still have the pain and despite 16 biopsies that the bitch did they found nothing wrong with my stomach/ bowel DAAAAA. He finally opened me up and found the filshie clip HAD come off my fallopian tube - what do they think I dumb and dont know my own body???? It had burrowed and made a great big hole in my ovary. As if I didnt already know that. THEN they gave me Tramadol to take home for the pain after the operation, but it was 6 x the dose for my weight. I didnt know - they are the doctors, so I took the pills and then 2 days later wasnt hurting so bad so I stopped. No one told me not to! So I started vomiting, every hour on the hour. I couldnt take another pill if I wanted to. I handled 1 day then Bill took me to the hospital where they injected me with Tramadol and Maxalon. How lucky am I not to have had a stroke!!! Why dont doctors know about this??? All I did was Google Tramadol and read it in the Tramadol Fact Sheet that Tramadol and Maxalon combined can cause a 90% chance of stroke!!! 16 days 16 different doctors. I told all of them I was taking Tramadol and then stopped. No one got it! Why do they care - its not their body! Most of them cant even speak English!!!! On the 16th day of vomitting non stop, Bill Googled Tramadol Withdrawal and hey presto. I had every single symptom. 16 days. Not one doctor worked it out!!!!! I would like to note that despite going to Grafton Base Hospital 14 times, they only have a record of me being admitted 5 times. Whats with that??? Ive tried to get justice for the lack of care at Grafton Base Hospital especially by the bitch, but both the Director Jean Collie and HCCC have done their best to cover it up, and I am yet to receive an apology from anyone!!!
I went to a second bowel surgeon for another opinion. He assured me that the bitch had definately cut me on the inside with the camera and I am very lucky to be alive. I asked him how old he was. He replied "65" I asked how many colonoscopies he had had. The answer? "NONE" So much for "needing one every 5 years after 40"
I will never trust a doctor again. At least I can trust Google!!!

4. FAMILY SEEKS ANSWERS AND ACTION

Monday, January 12th was a first anniversary. It was not marked with a celebration or cake as it was the anniversary of the death of our brother, Donald Joseph Driscoll. On January 12th, as we stood at his grave, we felt an overwhelming sense of loss. We were reminded of the suffering Don endured. We were reminded, too, of the extent to which the medical community failed Donnie. Donnie died of pancreatic cancer. He was only 48
years old. Donnie suffered from abdominal pain for 10 years. From the first time he sought help from his doctor, he was tagged with the label of depression. Tests that may have saved or prolonged his life were never ordered. He was told time and again about the cycle of depression and pain - that it was depression, not some underlying medical condition, that was responsible for his pain. When Donnie was finally referred in March 2007 to a
specialist in Moncton, he weighed 136lbs and suffered debilitating pain on a daily basis. Once again, Don was told that his pain was “emotional”, caused by a benign condition the doctor referred to as “enhanced pain perception
syndrome”. He was told to go home and work on his “personal issues”. He was also told (in no particular order of importance) to stop chewing gum; to watch out for “fatty foods”; and to perhaps try some acupuncture. Donnie
left that appointment broken and beaten. He fought on for the next six months, telling himself that if it was “all in his head”, then surely he could, “will” himself better - even though he could not walk properly and was becoming weaker by the day. We do not know how Don hung on for as long as he did; he was an incredibly strong man. We wonder if those involved in Don’s care would have been able to endure what Don was forced to. We wonder if the quality of care provided to Don would be acceptable to them if the life of their loved one was on the line.
The past year has been marked by an intense, and discouraging, search for answers. No one involved in
Don’s treatment will concede that, when it came to Don’s medical care, the proverbial ball was dropped. We
do not understand how Donnie’s doctors could simply watch him wither away. It is true that pancreatic
cancer is difficult to diagnose; most patients do not present with symptoms until the cancer is advanced.
Don, however, had a very rare, slow growing form of pancreatic cancer and he had been complaining an d
looking for help for many years. If caught early enough, there is the possibility of survival with Don’s
particular type of tumor. We will never know if Don could have beaten this cancer: by the time he was finally
diagnosed, on October 4, 2007, the cancer had progressed to stage 4. A mere six months after being t old he
was “depressed”, the cancer had spread to his liver, lungs, gall bladder, lymph nodes and pelvic bones. That
not only one, but several, doctors missed this is something we will never understand. His was not a fast-
growing cancer that appeared “out of nowhere”; it was a cancer characterized by pain, suffering and weight
loss over a number of years.

The one bright spot for Don during his final months was provided by the Palliative Care Unit at the Prince
Edward Home in Charlottetown. Here, Don finally found the personal respect he had so long been denied.
The palliative care staff saw Don as someone who was valued - as someone deserving of compassion and
care. They saw Don’s pain, and they knew how real it was. It was a relief to Don to be in a place where he was
finally accepted, without judgment or doubt. This meant everything to him. And while family efforts to
monitor Donnie’s condition must surely have tested the patience and good will of the nurses, they remained
unfailingly gracious. We cannot thank them enough for all that they did - for us and for Don. We will never
forget their kindness. Thanks to them, Don’s last days were spent in a place like “home”, surrounded by the
comfort of wonderful family, friends, staff and volunteers.

To the many people out there who have serious medical problems and are struggling to be heard, do no t
let Don’s story become yours. Be your own advocate. Fight for yourself. When mistakes are made do no t let
them go unheard or unaccounted for. Stand up for yourself or your loved one. Things must change, things
have to change, patients have rights and need to be reminded of this. It is our tax dollars - yours and mine -
that operate the hospitals and pay the salaries of medical personnel. Continue to ask questions, see k
accountability and demand action. Recognize that the system is weighted against the ordinary citizen . When
medical negligence occurs, the cost of legal action precludes all but the very wealthy from seeking redress in
the courts, so make sure that you complain to the College of Physicians and Surgeons. It is through this
regulating body that the ordinary person can go to look for answers and accountability regarding their
health care concerns. Filing a lawsuit is not an option that is available to most people; certainly it is not a
viable option for us. In our case, we have laid formal complaints with the College of Physicians and Surgeons
in PEI and in New Brunswick. It will be up to these groups to decide what should happen to those involved in
Don’s lack of an appropriate standard of care. The facts will speak for themselves. We wait to see what, if
anything will happen. All our hope for accountability rests now with them. This won’t bring Donnie back, but
it may bring some measure of justice. We owe him this. As we gathered on the first anniversary of Donnie’s
death, we remembered him, we love him, and we pray that he rests in peace.

For people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, there is help and support. Contact Craig’s Cause Pancreatic
Cancer Society at www.craigscause.ca.

Lynn Butler
Joanne Driscoll

· Late last year I went to the doc complaining about heart palpitations, he told me I’m too young to have heart problems and sent me home, 2mnths ago I woke up one morning feeling sick, that afternoon my husband rushed me to the hospital with heart cramps, once again they sent me home saying I’m too young, I’m 36yrs old. We came home and it got worse, an hour later I had the first of 3 heart attacks, all in 2hrs. I am now very weak and very angry. Why couldn’t they do tests?Mary-Lou, I live in a small town, I was transferred with the ambulance to a town 120km from here, my heart stopped in the ambulance, I wasn’t even stabilized at the hospital before. I asked for my file, they won’t give it, they say it’s their property.

Hi There:
First and foremost, my heart aches along with you:( I can't imagine your loss.
I have recently experienced the pompous arrogance of a hospital myself ( Guelph ) when a procedure I was having resulted in their negligence, please know that I'm not equating it whatsoever with your loss and experience. However, they have verbally admitted fault and now since I and my own Family Dr. think I should be compensated (nominally) they are now trying to dig dirt on my health back ground so as to exonerate them from wrong doing, a 'very dirty game' they like to play!
So after using a half hour from a lawyer referral service ( free) I am now in the process of taking them to small claims court! I was told that I can take them to court for up to 25 thousand. And thus the fight continues. . .
Please know, that I am sooo very impressed by your burning tenacity and willingness to share the real dirty story behind Hospitals ( whilst their Hospital Heads are being paid unjustifiably criminal salaries)at a very painful time.
Thank you, my heart is always with you

Mary I was the victim of negligence and a hospital cover up. Those who did this have gone to great length to make sure I cannot get any health care where I live. The warn each other through the computer network. They would not give me a requisition to get an MRI at a private clinic in Canada and last year I was refused a requisition to get a bone scan at a private clinic in Montreal. They will do whatever they can to conceal any damage they have done.

Our son lived in florida.he was 26 and lived with his life partner. He collasped one day while out with friends. . He was taken to a large - hosptial and was conscience before he went into a drug induced coma. We were told intialy his head injuries were not severe and he should wake up. Later medical examier showed a much more severe injury. He got pneunomia the second day.Our doctor thinks that was caused by a feeding tube mishap. . We were lead to belive all was well and it was just a matter of time before he woke up. On the fifth day we called and was told he was in serious condtion,dialysis was mentioned.We got there and the doctor questioned us about our son taking cocaine as a case of his sudden decline.We knew our son and this was not the case. The doctor finaly bluttered out a drug given him at the hosptial could be the culprit.He also said he would recommend dialysis (standard protocol for propofol poising)but it was not his call.A team of doctors came in later and said he didnt need dialysis right away. This was a major error according to our doctors report.On the last day we met a compassionate doctor who said he would care for our son on the fifth floor(cardiac unit) After he left the doctors finaly prepared our son for dialysis.He was never actualy given dialysis. Then they moved him downstairs.He did not go to the cardiac floor ,just a barren room with no chairs.We learned from our doctors report that vital medication had been turned down earlier.We were in the room when the nurse said there was a emergency and we had to leave. There were no alarms going off at the time. Our doctor disagrees with what happened next according to the records.We were brought back in the room and were told it was futal. Our son died in his mothers arms.

Then the medical examier ruled he died from alcohol and drug abuse had caused excessive bleeding.Blood tests at the hosptial showed no drugs and the eqvuilant of one light drink. We told them our son was not a substance abuser and we finaly got them to recind the report after contacting his primary and got his medical records.It took six months.We were under the assuption a inquiry would be done but it never happened. The examier did say later she felt the hosptial greatly unestimated his injuries.

We would like to say now there were some nurses there caring for our son who were sincere but knew they could not control the situation.Some of them did speak up.

We then had a private doctor review his record and he found a drug had caused his sudden rapid decline.It is called the propofol infusion syndrome.He found many other system failures in his care.

We sent a letter to the hosptial asking why his care was so inept. They answered with a apology of failure by the staff to communicate properly

We were unable to get a legal rep because of the tort reform in florida. This tort reform was passed as a votor referundum .Few knew they were signing away their legal rights.The biggest complaint we have is that because we couldnt bring a legal case we cant get his records public so we can freely talk about them.

We would like to get this drug(propofol)on a blackbox warning so it prevents it from happening to others.

In reading your article we finaly felt we were not alone .It will take many victims families to come forth and improve the system.

Thank you so much for being brave enough to write this article.Like you said because these deaths occur behind a cloak of secrecy the public is not alarmed.

As a pre-schooler, he had a nanny from Grenada. She had a distinctive accent that he mastered so well he could sometimes fool people on the phone, which he loved to do. As he got older he became a gifted impersonator.

JD loved magic. When he was three he went to a birthday party where there was a clown who did magic tricks. From that day he was fascinated with magic and his favourite treat for years was to go to the magic store with his Dad and get apparatus for a new illusion.

JD was incapable of pettiness or jealousy. From the day his brother was born, JD loved him unreservedly and always defended him.

The love of JD’s life was theatre. Whenever he got the chance, he took courses at Young People’s Theatre. When he was 9, he came home and said he was going to audition for the role of the young Duke of York at Canadian Stage production of Richard 03. Amazingly, although he had no experience, he auditioned and got the role. Stage fright was a foreign concept to this kid. He was totally happy and comfortable in front of 600 people.

John David loved life. He was extremely sensitive; as a young adult he was a high-strung, anxious perfectionist. When he was 16 he went to see Dr Ian Graham, a psychiatrist who told JD that he had ADHD and gave him stimulants for his alleged condition. JD took high doses of these drugs non-stop between mid-2000 and June, 2004. He had no medical need for Ritalin, Adderall or Dexedrine, the stimulants that Dr Graham prescribed for him. Dr Graham ever warned JD about the side effects or told him that the drugs are not suitable for long-term use. He also did not warn JD that these drugs are highly addictive, or that they negatively affect brain development.

In late summer 2004, JD was preparing to enter his 4^th year at Trinity College, University of Toronto (U of T.), he was working toward directing Othello at Hart House for the fall season. He decided to quit taking stimulants and told Dr Graham that this was his plan. Dr Graham did now warn him to wean himself off gradually to avoid serious withdrawal effects.

On Sept 8, JD quit the drug “cold turkey” and soon started to have serious problems. On Sept 17, he had a psychotic break and attempted suicide by slashing his throat. He was taken to North York General Hospital (NYG) by the police on an involuntary admission. His father and I rushed to the hospital when we found out but we were not permitted to see or talk to him.

NYG totally failed to discover that JD’s psychotic episode was a drug withdrawal reaction. This was at least partly because when they called Dr Graham, at my request, Dr Graham lied and said he had not seen JD for months. They recommended an antipsychotic drug, Risperdal. At the time I did not realize that this class of drug is extremely damaging, and actually causes the problems that people attribute to “schizoaffective disorders” when taken long term.

He then went to a different psychiatrist because it was assumed that he had some serious psychiatric problem. So, instead of getting off drugs, which was what he needed, he was loaded up with tons of damaging medications (Risperdal, Ativan, Celexa and Immovane). These drugs created terrible problems for him – he gained 70 lbs, losts most of his cognitive functioning, was seriously suicidal, unmotivated and he developed a craving for alcohol. His new psychiatrist, Dr David Dorenbaum, was totally oblivious to the obvious fact that all these problems and others were directly related to drugs.

Many psychiatrists attribute all patient problems to inherent conditions and then prescribe drugs to people who are suffering from drug side effects. This is what Dr Dorenbaum did to John David.

Dr Graham kept on prescribing the stimulants to him, although he should have known that they were the cause of JD’s problems. In the fall of 2005, I confronted Dr Graham and argued with him about this, and threatened him that if he did not stop prescribing the drugs or at least get a second opinion, I would complain to the College of Physicians and Surgeons (CPSO). I did not realize back then that the CPSO protects incompetent psychiatrists and will go to great lengths to blame their many victims for the problems these physicians cause, usually with drugs that do far more harm than good.

JD managed to get off the drugs for over a year and improved dramatically. Sadly, like many addicts, he went back to his stimulants in 2008, prescribed by Dr Dorenbaum, which immediately started a downward spiral of drinking. In the fall he entered a CAMH drug rehab program and did well, but by this time so much emotional and physical damage had been done that he was very fragile emotionally. He killed himself shortly after leaving rehab, just when we had begun to believe the worst was over.

There is no question that JD was sometimes sad and anxious as a teenager, despite being talented and popular, and gifted in a number of subjects and extracurricular activities. There is also no question that drugs destroyed his life and led to his death. If he had never met Dr Graham or Dr Dorenbaum and had stayed away from psychiatrists, he would have had a chance to grow up and have a good life.