The Tribune

By RICARDO WELLS

Tribune Staff Reporter

rwells@tribunemedia.net

FAMILY members of a young mother who died in the Princess Margaret Hospital early on Sunday said they are still trying to understand the circumstances surrounding her death.

Grace Margueritta Beneby told The Tribune last night that she still can’t accept the fact that her 22-year-old daughter, D’Andjoua Beneby, affectionately called “Punkie”, was gone.

According to Mrs Beneby, within days of her daughter’s two-week medical follow-up following the birth of her second daughter, Jadi Waterfort, D’Andjoua began to complain of headaches and leg pains.

On August 16, a day after fainting at home, family members said D’Andjoua decided to seek medical attention.

The Tribune understands she was admitted to the intensive care unit of PMH and the Beneby family was notified that there was an issue.

Mrs Beneby said despite never being told by medics exactly what was affecting D’Andjoua, she and other members of her family complied with all the hospital’s requests.

“(Last Monday) morning at eight, the nurses at the hospital called me and told me that she was transferred to the (Gynecology) ward. They had just admitted her to ICU earlier that morning and now she was being moved again,” said Mrs Beneby.

“I went to the hospital to see her because I didn’t understand what was wrong. We were all lost. When I got there, I was instructed to wear (medical) mask and gear to see her.

“I spoke to my daughter at that time; she said that she wasn’t sure but thought she may have to have surgery but didn’t say what.” She said that was the last time she spoke to her daughter.

“My baby, my little girl of about 116lbs, when I saw her on that machine she looked about 300lbs, swollen. They couldn’t tell us what was wrong, no idea what was going on. All they told us was that her white blood cells was low and they couldn’t figure why,” said Mrs Beneby.

According to the family’s account of the ordeal, D’Andjoua went into surgery for an unspecified procedure on the evening of August 18. They claimed from the moment she left the medical theatre up to her later death, she was on life support.

The family have raised concerns that the afterbirth could have been left in her and not taken out as it should have been and might have become infected. However, this has been denied.

On Sunday, Corporate Communications Manager at the Public Hospitals Authority (PHA) Judy Terrell confirmed that there was a death at the PMH that was being looked into. She said a post mortem (autopsy) was being conducted and there would be no further comment until that was completed.

D’Andjoua’s older brother, Dwight Beneby, said he is still shocked. He said the reality that his sister – who had a seven-year-old daughter, Christinique Mackey, as well as a new baby – was no longer alive has affected many people.

D’Andjoua, a 2010 graduate of C I Gibson Senior High School and employee of Super Value (Golden Gates), was described as the “life of the party”.

“Her friends, all of Facebook, the neighbourhood – it is like everyone has been surprised by this. This is something I can not understand. My baby sister, the last of five children, the only girl – she is gone,” said Mr Beneby.