Jaali Weenie-Sutherland’s family says after being transferred to two different Saskatoon hospitals, the 24-year-old received a diagnosis of pre-eclampsia, a dangerous pregnancy complication causing high blood pressure, and was asked to wait in observation for more than 13 hours for care.
She died on April 26.
Her family is speaking out following her death to share her story and demand justice in the hopes of protecting other pregnant women.
“Today is about honouring Jaali, protecting her memory and making sure she’s remembered for who she was in life while continuing to seek understanding, accountability and meaningful change so that no other family has to go through what I’m going through, all of us,” said Jaali’s husband, Blayne Morin.
Jaali’s mother, Cynthia Weenie, says the family is “left with difficult questions.”
“We are here. We are left with the pain of not understanding everything. We question whether more could have been done. We are on a journey for justice,” Weenie said.
Weenie-Sutherland’s daughter survived but as the family welcomes her into their lives, they are still grappling with what led to the loss.
“Jaali’s concerns were dismissed and the warning signs of pre-eclampsia were clear. A known treatable condition of pre-eclampsia was ignored and resulted in death,” family spokesperson Jaye Cameron said.
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Cameron says the family feels that this is part of a larger pattern of Indigenous women facing difficulties in maternal medicine.
“This is not an isolated tragedy. Indigenous women continue to face systematic barriers in health care, where they should be feeling safe and comfortable knowing that they’re going to be taken care of. Their voices are too often ignored,” Cameron said.
The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) said in a statement that it is calling for an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding Weenie-Sutherland’s death
“Her passing is not only a devastating loss for her family, but a stark and painful reminder of the systemic failures that continue to exist within the healthcare system – failures that disproportionately impact Indigenous women and families,” FSIN said.
Maternal fetal medicine specialist Ernesto Figuero says Indigenous women are more susceptible to pre-eclampsia.
“This is not because of ethnicity itself, but more because of the lack of access to care,” Figuero said.
Figuero says underlying medical conditions can also significantly increase the risk of developing pre-eclampsia.
“Two to eight per cent in the general population, but it can reach up to 30 per cent, 34 per cent or even 40 per cent if there are other high-risk factors together,” he said.
Figuero says there are strict protocols for the condition and that it can become life-threatening if it isn’t treated quickly.
“In Canada, specifically here in Saskatchewan, we have strict protocols to diagnose, recognize and treat patients with established diagnosis of preeclampsia. And usually it goes to the emergent or an urgent/emergent situation,” Figuero said.
Weenie-Sutherland’s family says they don’t want others to go through the same pain they did.
“Justice for Jaali is not only about one case, it’s about ending the pattern,” Cameron said.
The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) says any maternal death during labour or delivery is immediately investigated as a critical incident and the process is underway for Weenie-Sutherland.
It also says its clinical leadership has met with the family and members of its First Nations and Métis health team have been engaged to support culturally respectful and compassionate communication.
“Depending on overall numbers, it might be something we would need to look at over several years,” the SHA stated when asked about Indigenous maternal mortality rates.
The Saskatchewan Coroners Service and eHealth Saskatchewan have said they do not actively track maternal mortality rates in relation to Indigenous women or pre-eclampsia.
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