Woman bled to death
Patience Edema, a Jehovah’s Witness, 24, died three days after giving birth to her second daughter,after refusing a vital blood transfusion.A young woman died after refusing a vital blood transfusion through religious beliefs days after giving birth at Whipps Cross Hospital.
Patience Edema, a Jehovah’s Witness, 24, died three days after giving birth to her second daughter, on Tuesday, October 24 last year, from complications after an emergency hysterectomy an operation to remove the womb.
At an inquest into her death at Walthamstow Coroner’s Court, coroner Elizabeth Stearns said Mrs Edema, of Grange Park Road, Leyton, died from “post-operative complications for which she refused medical intervention, namely, a blood transfusion.”
Mrs Edema, who was seven and a half months pregnant and had suffered two previous miscarriages in her home country of Nigeria, arrived at Whipps Cross for a routine appointment with her husband Omatseye on Friday, October 17.
After a four hour wait they were seen at midnight by a doctor who said she would have to be admitted because of rising blood pressure and possible pre-eclampsia.
Mrs Edema gave birth to her baby daughter through an emergency caesarean section on Monday, October 21 after doctors become concerned with her rising blood pressure, and had diagnosed her with pre-eclampsia. They were also worried about the small size of the baby in the womb.
There were no complications with the caesarean section, which undoubtedly saved the baby’s life, and mother and baby were doing fine under the close observation of hospital staff.
Early on Tuesday morning, Mrs Edema started to show signs that she was not well. The doctors noticed she had not passed urine, a fact her husband had pointed out six hours after she had delivered the baby.
Doctors became concerned that her face, feet and hands had started to swell and phoned her husband to alert him that she could be bleeding internally.
Before the emergency hysterectomy was carried out, the couple were advised by doctors that a blood transfusion would be necessary and could make the difference between life and death.
However, they both said no and a form was filled out to say no blood products were to be used during treatment because of their religious faith.
After the surgery Mrs Edema was placed on a dialysis and a life support machine in the intensive care unit, where she died on the Thursday at 12.40am.
In a statement recalling the events that led up to his wife’s death, Mr Edema said: “I am now left alone on a strange terrain to cater for my two daughters as a single parent. All my wife’s ambitions and inspirations have been nipped in the bud. Can my life be the same again?”
REALLY, ITS A MATTER OF CHOICE TO OR NOT TO ACCEPT BLOOD TRANSFUSION THOUGH ITS CORRECTNESS IS ANOTHER ISSUE ENTIRELY. SHE HAS MADE HER DECISION AND WILL FACE HER MAKER TO ACCOUNT FOR THE LIFE SHE WAS OPPORTUNE TO LIVE. I SYMPATHISE WITH HER HUSBAND WHO IS OBVIOUSLY NOT USED TO BEING WITHOUT HER. CONDEMNING HER OR JWS WILL MAKE NO DIFFERENCE AS THE MATTER IS PROPERLY DOMICILED IN THE REALM OF THE SPIRITUAL. IT REMAINS FOR US ALL TO CONTINUALLY PRAY THAT WE WILL CONSTANTLY BE PERSUADED OF THE BALANCED TRUTH OF THE BIBLE. SOMEBODY ONCE NOTED THE OTHER DAY HOW POSSIBLE IT IS TO FIND IN THE BIBLE JUSTIFICATION TO DO JUST ABOUT ANYTHING THAT SUITS ONES FANCY!!!
BARRISTER FEMI AYANDOKUN. OSHOGBO. NIGERIA.
You see without bias the truth is:
Within the circulatory system blood is either blue or green. This means blood turns red when the hemoglobin on the erythrocytes (red blood cells) become covered with oxygen in the atmosphere.
The problem is everything in the air gets sucked into it to.
Like the Oreck filtration system commercials show there’s alot of contaminants (Black stuff) in the air. These contaminants include the diseases accumlated in hospitals (when drawn in hospitals). It is a well known fact that more people get sick in the hopital than anywhere else. There is currently no way to avoid the contamination of blood.
Also Blood like anything else foreign to the body, has the risk of rejection, or atleast causes the body more difficulty in healing itself due to having to adapt to the foreign material. [During the beginning of the AIDS pandemic in the 1980’s over 30,000 hemophiliacs aquired the disease from tainted Plasma which is a component of blood. Plasma screening was the most thorough blood screening system at that time]
Blood conservation techniques have the same mortality rate as using blood in surgery. The major difference is the lack of knowledge in these techniques and the fact that healing time is much shorter in blood conservation.
Another difference would be the use of electrocauterization (Electrcally closing cuts or surgical openings in the body). This almost imediately seals the openings without waiting for stitches to heal.
The truth is the bible used terms such as clean and unclean or holy and unholy to describe thngs that we now are beginning to understand as aseptic/septic (sannitary, unsanitary) or other definitions according to their context. This also applies to the food that we eat according the biblical laws, but those laws are no longer practiced with the admittance of gentiles.
Wether the interpretation of the scriptures are argued one way or another the scientific facts would still exist even with out the Jehovah’s witnesses.
HI Guys ,
As A Health Student ,at times I’m finding the issues of a blood transfusion very confusing on a legal view point.
From a moral and christian stand point I can only wonder how one can stand by and let another human die , be it baby , child or adult, when God has given us the knownledge and understanding in his grace to help one another in the end all i can say that jugdement day will be the decider for everyone.
Whoah . . . take it easy, Lynn. The post wasn’t from the person you’re jumping all over anyway. It’s signed by the person who’s wife died (for your religious cause, by the way, I’d think you’d be more compassionate). I am a nursing student and at first felt non-judgemental about this topic until I had to write a paper on it. I use to think it was courageous how your people stand up for their faith, but how can you stand up for something that has little backing. Extensive research has proved little result as far as information. I would not basically commit suicide for a cause that has no proof of validity. A week of searching and still no answers. Do you guys only do it because that’s what you’ve been told to do? I’ve read the passage about consuming blood, but that’s a far cry from a transfusion. This conjures up images of satanic, blood-drinking rituals, definately NOT life-saving procedures. I am not convinced and your post has put a bad taste in my mouth. Thanks for turning the tide. No longer will you find comfort or understanding from me. Sorry.
Hey Lynn Read John 3:16
How sure are you that your mom is in paradise? What biblical guarantee does the scriptures tell you??? There is no such verse that says this, ONLY GOD knows where he wants to place us. Revelation chapter 21 says we will be judge according to our deeds, and only those who are in the book of life can enter into the eternal kingdom.
Lynn
This is a very sad story. Unfortunately, it has been repeated untold thousands of times for men, women, boys & girls — and babies, too.
Their stories should be told to help save future ones, so, here is mine…about my dear mother.
Although I am not disfellowshipped, I am still ‘marked’ for being ‘inactive’. I have many wounds from being a WT slave for over 30 years…and I will do every thing I can to save my family (some who are shunning me now) from spending & wasteing that much of their lives.
My Mom died as a result of the WT’s medical advice. She died, because she could not have a blood transfusion. The Hospital Liaison Commitee Elders and my JW sisters lied to my non-JW Dad, telling him “JW’s the world over cannot accept any blood products of any kind.”
That is a bald-faced lie. Hemoglobin, a blood fraction (actually it comprises 97% of a red blood cell…hardly a fraction) that actually carries the oxygen…is ‘allowed’ by the WT. BUT, in a trick the WT loves to use…they say it’s a “conscience matter”. For those reading this that aren’t JW’s — that is ‘JW speak’ for “YOU BETTER NOT DO THIS !”
JW’s — think for yourselves ! You cannot take “whole red blood cells,” right ? If you take out the hemoglobin (97% of the cell) what do you have left ? Basically, the cellular membrane — that’s all ! NOT BLOOD ! The real “BLOOD” is the hemoglobin ! SO, WTF ?
Please do not take my word for this, ask a qualified person — a scientist, a doctor.
Despite what you’ve been told, a blood transfusion is not “eating blood”, it is never consumed or used in any manner in your blood stream — as nutrition. The bible does not address transfusions, just the Governing Body.
The WT blood doctrine is pure idiocy, not scientific (no matter how smart they manage to sound) and most of all — it is lethal !
My mother was as good as murdered by the lies of the Watchtower. I don’t want revenge. I just don’t want to attend the useless funerals of anymore loved ones who died for this religion.
Did you know there is an organized group of active Witnesses ‘Associated JW’s for Reformation of Blood’ ?
AJWRB.ORG.
They want the blood doctrine to be changed. I agree with that, but, I’ll never go back for any reason.
Think for yourselves. Can you think of anything you would like to change ? Talk to someone, that’s how change starts.
Sincerely,Lee
I loved miss her so dearly.hope to see her in paradise.