HEALTH: Woman sues hospital after contracting infection that lead to amputation of fingers, toes

After going to the hospital for a bone marrow
transplant, a mother of three developed a potentially
deadly infection  that led to the need to amputate all
of her toes, parts of both feet and many of her
fingers. She is now suing City of Hope National
Medical Center in Los Angeles, Calif., CBSLA.com
reported.
Janet Garner, 49, said that in 2004, doctors failed to
give her vaccinations that could have prevented her
from developing pneumococcal sepsis.
“The hospital and medical staff chose to ignore their
own written procedures and did not give her the
required pneumococcal vaccinations following the
transplant,” Garner’s attorney Moseley Collins said
at a press conference Thursday.
Because of chronic wounds, the remainder of
Garner’s feet may need to be amputated in the
future. At the press conference, she said that the
soles of her feet are skin over bone.
“Every step is painful,” Garner said. “It feels like
walking on sharp rocks— it’s really hard. I feel
helpless and useless.”
Garner and her husband, Stefan, said they now
think of how their life used to be and experiences
they can no longer have with their children.
“I can’t walk on the beach with them … I just can’t
do it. And I just hope they’re going to be OK. It’s
hard. They’re precious,” she said.
The hospital declined CBS2/KCAL9’s request for an
on-camera interview, issuing a written statement
that said: “Providing the best possible treatment for
all patients is City of Hope’s highest priority. In
observance of federal and state privacy regulations,
we will not comment upon any individual patient.”
The trial is set to begin March 16, 2015 in L.A.
County.