By Danielle Orr, Kunal Chaudhary & Martha Troian
Trigger warning: This article contains details of death, medical negligence and discrimination.
“Sakihitowin means love,” Pearl Gambler says, recalling the day she gave her daughter her name.
It was the day Sakihitowin was born — and died.
From Bigstone Cree Nation, Gambler entered Edmonton’s Misericordia Hospital on June 11, 2020, and experienced a series of events that she can only characterize as traumatic and discriminatory.
“They really made me feel ‘less than’ as a woman … and my baby,” says Gambler, “it really kills me … how she was treated.”
In November 2022, Gambler’s story made national headlines when she filed a lawsuit against Covenant Health and her obstetrician claiming she and her baby were neglected throughout their stay. The statement of claim, dated Oct. 12 of that same year, alleges a male nurse stood watching Gambler scream for help while she gave birth prematurely.
“Covenant Health is vicariously liable for the actions and omissions of its employees including nurses, interns and residents,” the statement of claim reads in part.
Read the full article on the National Observer.
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