Vancouver Island mother demands action after death of son

The mother of an 11-year-old boy with mild cerebral palsy who died after seeking emergency care at a Vancouver Island hospital is demanding action to change what she says are a series of systemic failures.

Nikki Robbins says it was clear something was out of the ordinary with her son Brayden when he was taken to the North Island Hospital Emergency Department twice last November. Brayden ultimately died from a brain bleed.

“Brayden was a very joyful, vibrant 11-year-old boy who had his whole life ahead of him,” Robbins said. “He was a very curious boy; he was up to trying anything out. He was just very adventurous, and he enjoyed his friends, school, he was your typical 11-year-old boy that was loved by everyone who met him.”

Robbins believes Brayden’s complex health needs weren’t properly assessed, nor was she — a registered nurse — or her husband sufficiently consulted on his history.

“He had a stroke in utero, so he was born with a form of cerebral palsy called hemiplegia, which affected the right side of his body, so he had limited movement,” Robbins explained. “He grew up with a lot of physio and occupational therapy, so he was quite accustomed to working with health care providers.”

At around four years old, Brayden began experiencing seizures, for which he had surgery to fix. Robbins explains that around a year after the surgery, fluid built up around his brain. After a second surgery, Robbins says Brayden “lived a normal life until we came to Comox hospital on November 12.”

“My husband took him to the hospital on the 12th, and when he arrived, he was admitted right away because he was very uncomfortable. My husband was very clear that this was not normal for Brayden, that he’s had a complex medical history, and shared all of his past surgeries, that he was a patient at BC Children’s, all the stuff they needed to know,” she said.

There was also no pediatrician physically present at the hospital in Comox, Robbins says, and the attending emergency physician was on the phone with someone from BC Children’s Hospital looking for direction.

Brayden was sent home, Robbins explains, after receiving acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and a muscle relaxant.

Five days later, Brayden was rushed to the emergency department again.

“He was screaming, his body was rigid, and my husband had to carry him into the emergency room, and he could not speak because he was in so much pain. And clearly there was something wrong,” she explained.

Robbins says she advocated for Brayden to be transferred via helicopter to BC Children’s or a hospital in Victoria, along with getting a CT scan done as soon as possible.

“There was some miscommunication — the doctor wrote in his chart that she wasn’t aware of his complex medical history until 10:30 at night, which is concerning for us because all of his medical histories in his chart,” she explained, adding there’s a reason there is a specific charting method for pediatric patients.

She believes Brayden was treated like an adult with cerebral palsy — “pediatric patients are nothing like adults. They present very differently and should not be cared for under the same criteria as adults.”

Robbins says that due to multiple problems, Brayden couldn’t be transported anywhere else for higher care.

“From the critical incident report that we received, it says limited staff and a malfunction of a helicopter played a part in the lack of transportation for Brayden,” she said.

“On every level of our health-care system, there were red flags,” Robbins said. “Everything lined up, just when Brayden was visiting the hospital, that led to his demise.”

Robbins wants her family’s experience to be proof that something needs to change in B.C.’s health-care system.

“My son is dead because of the decisions that have been made,” she said. “There were … policies and standards of practice that should have been reinforced by Island Health and by the hospital.”

Robbins has met over Zoom with B.C.’s health minister, Josie Osborne, where she laid out a list of recommendations.

“What I said to her is that I cannot make the changes that I need you, as our leader, to make. You have the authority, the power, and the decision-making to put things in place, to make sure these changes are made as our leader,” she said.

“I do not want this to be repeated with any other family, any other child. … This is not right, this was preventable, and I think that it is my responsibility to speak up and advocate for our future children, for our families that utilize the system.

“I don’t believe that all of our health care is broken. There are parts of our health care system that are that’s working really well, but then there are parts that are just falling apart, and rural pediatric health-care is one of them.”

In a statement to 1130 NewsRadio on Monday, Osborne said her heart “goes out” to Brayden’s family and loved ones.

“No parent should ever have to experience the loss of a child, and the pain that Brayden’s parents are feeling is unimaginable for almost all of us,” she said.

Osborne explained that a multi-agency review of Brayden’s case is already underway, and includes Island Health, BC Emergency Health Services, BC Children’s Hospital, and Child Health BC.

“We must learn from tragic cases like these and do everything possible to avoid another family having to go through what Brayden’s family is experiencing. It is critical that a thorough review is completed to examine what happened and how the system can do better,” Osborne said.

“It is my expectation that the family’s input be a part of this review. Action has also already been taken to strengthen BCEHS’ capacity to transport patients in need with the addition of a new night shift Critical Care Paramedic operating in the region, as of July 1st.”