The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Chief Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

“SEND my case to a lawyer, and let’s sue PMH,” were the final words 36-year-old Clanesha Adderley told her family just hours before they found her cold and lifeless in a hospital ward, with staff allegedly unaware.

Nearly two months after her death, Clanesha’s parents and her 16-year-old daughter are still reliving that horrific discovery every day – shattered, searching for answers, and demanding accountability in what they describe as a clear case of negligence.

They shared photos, messages and audio recordings of Clanesha in pain, detailing a harrowing account of the events leading up to her death during an emotional interview with The Tribune.

“This is not my first chance with these people. In 2008, they nearly killed her,” her father, Clay Adderley, said, pointing to his wife beside him.

The tragedy comes nearly two decades after Clanesha’s mother, Vernitta Adderley, had her own close encounter with death at the same hospital.

Mrs Adderley said a “botched operation” for what was supposed to be a simple tubal ligation at Princess Margaret Hospital nearly killed her, leaving her in a coma for days.

She said doctors considered pulling the plug, but she — 37 at the time — survived and later shared her account with The Tribune in 2010.

Now, nearly two decades later, the family faces a painfully familiar story — that of their daughter, who died at PMH just two weeks shy of her own 37th birthday.

The case is the latest to place PMH’s quality of care and services under public scrutiny.

Mrs Adderley said the ordeal began on October 27, when her daughter called asking to be taken to a clinic after experiencing severe pain despite taking over-the-counter medication.

Clanesha visited a doctor, received an IV drip and prescriptions for three medications, but her symptoms persisted.

Seeking a second opinion, the family took her to PMH, where she underwent tests and scans.

Staff later told them her condition was critical and that she needed to be hospitalised immediately, though no one could explain what was wrong.

All they knew, the family said, was that her white blood cell count was dangerously high.

Frustration mounted as Clanesha waited days to be admitted.

“She waited nearly three days sitting in the ward,” Mr Adderley said.

“Two days sitting in the chair at A and E,” his wife added.

On November 1, Clanesha was admitted to the Female Medical-Surgical East ward — a day the family says marked the point when “everything went downhill”.

They said her condition deteriorated rapidly. She could not eat or drink, struggled to breathe and ran a high fever.

As her condition worsened, the family said doctors could not definitively say what was wrong, instead offering possible diagnoses.

“Then at the same time, the care on the ward was atrocious from the nurses. She couldn’t get them to bring her water, ice or nothing,” Mr Adderley said.

The family said other patients on the ward told them they had to ask staff for help on Clanesha’s behalf.

They recalled a moment when she suffered a seizure after a severe reaction to a blood transfusion. Clanesha later told relatives nurses did not check on her for nearly two hours.

In her final days, Clanesha repeatedly sent voice notes begging her family to hire a lawyer and to transfer her to another hospital. She also raised concerns that medication was being administered without her consent or knowledge. The Tribune has obtained and listened to the recordings.

“We asked them. They say she couldn’t move because we wanted to take her off to the states. They said she was too critical,” her mother said.

The family accused staff of being neglectful, recalling moments when Clanesha called home asking them to contact the nurses’ station.

“I would call there to the ward and call the nurse station and tell them, bed four — Adderley is trying to get your attention,” Mrs Adderley said.

She said the situation became so dire she had to purchase Panadol to keep her daughter’s fever down after the hospital reportedly ran out.

The family said the most harrowing moment came on November 14, when what was meant to be a routine visit turned into a nightmare.

Clanesha’s bed was located reportedly near the nurses’ station with a curtain drawn around her bed. Nearby, the family claimed, nurses were arguing over food.

Relatives waiting outside the ward were admitted minutes later.

“So they were arguing over food around 6.20 something and they said okay y’all can come in now and my daughter right there to the door,” Mr Adderley said.

Clanesha was cold, eyes and mouth open, and unresponsive.

The family said nurses rushed to the bed, asked them to leave and attempted to resuscitate her.

“But my daughter was done dead,” Mr Adderley said. “I worked in the hospital as a porter. I know dead when I see it.”

His wife added: “No revival could’ve happened. Only God could have brought her back.”

The family said they had spoken to Clanesha earlier that morning. She had pleaded for them to get her out of PMH.

Later that day, relatives said doctors finally provided blood test results the family had been awaiting, revealing that Clanesha had acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

Mrs Adderley said doctors informed her daughter of the diagnosis without family present, which she believes caused distress.

“She sent me a message asking why they were talking about chemotherapy,” she said.

She said doctors had indicated Clanesha would be moved to intensive care for closer monitoring, but that never happened.

“Two days before her death, y’all decide to do this blood work when she needed it from the day she went in,” she said.

Mrs Adderley said the family needs answers.

“This is not about money. It’s about principle and the fact that she was neglected for the 12 days she was on surgical med East,” she said.

Relatives described Clanesha as full of life and said she had been looking forward to her only child’s 17th birthday this month and her graduation later this year.

They said losing her — the second of their four children — just before the holiday season has made the grief even heavier.

When asked about legal action, the family said they are still considering their options.

When contacted for comment, a Public Hospital Authority official confirmed that a complaint had been filed regarding the allegations and that the matter is under investigation.