Jodian Fearon’s mom still has questions

The mother of Jodian Fearon is still demanding answers after a government-administered autopsy said that the 23-year-old first-time mother died from heart complications.

Atrial septal defect, the cause of death, is a congenital fault characterised by a hole in the wall that divides the upper chambers of the heart.

Speaking with The Gleaner recently, Fearon’s mom, Portia Green-Haughton, said that the autopsy report has answered “a few of the questions, but not all” about the circumstances of her death.

Fearon passed away at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) in late April, six hours after delivering her baby at the Spanish Town Hospital in St Catherine.

Green-Haughton is bewildered as to why, and how, the 23-year-old ended up on the floor of the UHWI’s intensive care unit (ICU) where she was found unresponsive before a doctor pronounced her dead.

“Why is it that nobody was there in the ICU and how is it you could have an ICU without anybody monitoring physically or monitoring by camera? That is very alarming,” she told The Gleaner.

“... An intensive care unit is a very sensitive area of a hospital. That area should never be left alone.”

Green-Haughton said that the post-mortem results transported her back to April 25, the fateful day she got the call that Jodian did not make it.

“It was nothing short of that moment. The feeling is like I was reliving the trauma all over again,” Green-Haughton said.

The findings of the autopsy, conducted by doctors at the UHWI, are similar to the pronouncements made by Dr Jephthah Ford, the medical doctor who oversaw the procedure on the family’s behalf.

“So, the fact that people were bashing him and saying all these things, he was correct. I am happy that Dr Ford has been vindicated because at one point they (the public and other doctors) made the family feel as if we are dealing with a maniac when, in truth and in fact, if it wasn’t for him sticking up for us I don’t know where we would be right now,” said Green-Haughton.

Meanwhile, the autopsy report, which was obtained by The Gleaner, also revealed that there was no evidence of external blunt trauma to the body.

The post-mortem, which was performed at the UHWI, was conducted on April 29, five days after her death.

Fearon had been at the privately operated Andrews Memorial Hospital on April 24 for delivery but had to leave after exhibiting perceived coronavirus-like symptoms.

According to her obstetrician, Dr Lloyd Goldson, both the UHWI and the Victoria Jubilee Hospital refused to admit the patient, who at the time was in labour.

Eventually, the Spanish Town Hospital agreed to take her, but when she arrived there in an ambulance, the facility was not ready to accommodate her.

After a C-section delivery, Fearon’s health deteriorated and she was rushed to the UHWI for further treatment, where she succumbed hours later.