Wil's Rant

A couple has been awarded millions in a negligence case involving the birth of their son. He is now brain damaged as a result of being born there. I don't know enough about the case to comment on what went wrong. I do however have knowledge about another case. While living in Colorado in the seventies, I had a friend whose father had been in the U.S. Army. His mother gave birth to his sister while under Army medical care. His mother had RH- blood which means, at that time, that she would require a blood transfusion for her daughter immediately after birth. They now use injections to prevent what happened in her case. As no doctor was available, an Army Corpsman was the one who delivered her baby. The problem was that Corpsmen were not authorized to give transfusions. The result was that my friend's sister has been severely retarded ever since. His father left the Army as a result and won a settlement. That didn't do much for his sister. We are talking about one of the most beautiful, sweetest young woman that I have ever met. Her brain damage should never have happened, especially in a case where all the facts were well known. I have no problem with the use of corpsmen by the military to treat patients. My problem begins when those same people are entrusted with a level of care which they can't provide. American military personnel are pretty much the same as Canadian. They are among the finest examples of those in our society. They have to deal with situations that most of us couldn't imagine and wouldn't want too. They deserve much, much better from their superiors. This was back in the seventies, a long time ago. I have thought of this little girl many times since. Her name was Tammy. I have not spoken to this friend since leaving the States in 1975. I have no idea how she and her family are doing. They were great people, who should never have had to deal with the result of Army negligence.