On November 2, 2022, Cheyenna Costello was experiencing stomach pains. The pains were so intense, she made her way to the Providence Regional Medical Center Everett, in Washginton state. She sat in the emergency room, waiting to receive medical attention.
She was given a wheelchair because seats were no longer available. She waited and waited. Four hours later, Cheyenna Costello began having seizures and eventually died, from what is believed to be a highly treatable condition.
Medical professionals determined her condition was critical.
Before she arrived at the hospital, Costello had been experiencing stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhea, The News Tribune reports. The ambulance took her to the emergency room at 7:19 p.m. A nurse determined her condition was level 3, which is considered urgent. A doctor confirmed the nurse’s assessment, and noted that Costello was “critically ill with significant risk to decompensate and even death, requiring prompt bedside evaluation and intervention.”
A nurse ordered a comprehensive metabolic panel, but by the time the test was conducted five hours later, she was already dead.
The lawsuit claims the condition was easily treatable.
Now, her family is suing the medical center. The 41-year-old wife and mother of three didn’t receive medical treatment in time. She reportedly died from an “easily treatable condition,” the suit, filed October 12, 2023, claims.
The coroner’s report found that she had “acute and chronic pancreatitis with pseudocyst.” The conditions also caused an irregular heartbeat. The complaint alleges that if Costello had received medical care sooner, her condition could have been diagnosed and treated, and her life likely would have been saved.
The medical center released a statement.
The medical center released a statement regarding the incident. “We are deeply saddened by this incident and our deepest sympathies are with the patient’s family and loved ones,” the statement reads.
Attorney Marlena Grundy is representing Sean Costello, Cheyenna’s husband, in the lawsuit. “The ultimate goal of the lawsuit is to make sure that no other family experiences such a tragic loss under similar circumstances at Providence Everett,” Grundy told McClatchy News.
“The thought that just getting a lab result and acting on it could have saved this woman’s life was heartbreaking to me,” Grundy told MedPage Today. The lawsuit accuses Providence Regional Medical Center of negligence and seeks general and special damages.
Cheyenne Costello: Mother of 3 dies after waiting hours in ER for easily treatable condition: Lawsuithttps://t.co/p3eXekuuej
— Elwin Paucek (@PaucekElwi33520) October 16, 2023
Cheyenna’s mother launched a GoFundMe to help support her grandchildren and son-in-law.
On the GoFundMe page launched to help support Sean Costello and his children, Tricia Nelson, Cheyenna’s mother, explained that the tragedy has not only left the family grieving, but in a difficult financial situation. “Sean and the kids would appreciate any assistance you can offer to keep the heat on, the food on the table, mortgage and car payments current until he can sort out his options and resources,” she said, explaining that her son-in-law is now scrambling to pay bills, while the loss has left “a hole in our hearts.”
So far, the fundraiser has raised close to $9,000.