Letter to Sister, Keith, and Paul re: Jackson Jean-Baptiste

Letter to Sister, Keith, and Paul re: Jackson Jean-Baptiste

Date: Mon Dec 19 18:03:38 2005

Dear Sister, Keith, Paul, and Haitian Hearts Supporters,

In TB clinic this morning we had two kids less than 3 years old with Pott’s disease. This is a disease that has been described through antiquity where TB infects the spine and eats away at a vertebral body.The vertebral body crumbles and an abscess can set up next to it. If the patient survives, it leaves them with a severe curvature of the spine.The good news is that with 18 months of TB treatment, Pott’s disease is curable. One of the kid’s moms has TB herself. She is quite emaciated and put her head on the desk top to rest while the baby was being examined. The baby urinated all over her and she acted like she didn’t even notice. The mother weighs about 80 lbs. She had her other two kids with her to get them screened for TB. All are malnourished. There is no father involved with the family. Poverty is a really evil thing and so is not doing anything about it.

Keith and Paul, Jackson had a bad night again. He was up vomiting in the middle of the night for about 2 hours and very weak this morning. He needs to be pulled up from a lying position. He can walk up some steps but needs to rest at the landing. I titrated his meds again based on his exam. His BP is only 82 today due to his volume loss. His sister came 2 hours early this morning to visit Jackson and she told me that her mom cries all the time. She asked me if Jackson was “grave”. I told her yes.
Keith and Paul, you can change this if you want. You can stop Jackson’s mom’s tears if you want. The host families and doctors and nurses want Jackson at OSF. Why don’t you?

Last week I asked you three if you would search for another medical facility to take care of Jackson since you don’t seem to be interested. Have you found anyone? The Ethical and Religious Directives state that Catholic health care providers need to collaborate with others to help sick people like Jackson. Many people are interested in Jackson’s fate and have collaborated with many people trying to help him. What have you done? Just in case you didn’t know, other medical centers believe Jackson is OSF’s patient, which he is.

When OSF turned your back on Willie Fortune last year and was going to allow him to die with a pacemaker generator that was failing, I thought I would never see anything as bad. When Keith appeared to laugh out his administrative window at Willie and I standing on the sidewalk (as he stood just a few inches behind 89 year old Sister Canisia’s peripheral vision), that did not really surprise me.
With Jackson, I think you have out done yourselves. Keith, Jackson’s mom is not laughing. Bottom line, is today is the 18th day we have had Jackson with us. We have optimized his medication and he needs surgery. He is going to die soon. His suffering is intense. Sister, you were put in a bad spot four years ago, but this is not an unsolvable problem. Jackson is still counting on you. Please don’t let him down or discount your precious mission statements.

Sincerely,

Dr. John