The family of an 11-year-old cancer survivor has been awarded $20.5 million after a jury found that a fatal overdose of prescribed medication led to her tragic death. Ava Wilson, who had been in remission from B-lymphoblastic leukemia, died in her sleep in 2020, just 36 hours after being discharged from a clinic in Illinois.
Her death was ruled the result of “acute combined drug toxicity of morphine, hydroxyzine, and gabapentin,” according to attorneys from the law firm Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C., who represented the Wilson family. The civil lawsuit was filed against Advocate Health and Hospitals Corporation, alleging negligence in Ava’s care and pain management.
Ava had visited the clinic on October 30, 2020, showing signs of severe discomfort. She was “crying in pain,” suffering from difficulty walking and experiencing foot drop, her attorneys stated. Despite concerning lab results—including low platelet and red blood cell counts, elevated liver enzymes, and low blood pressure—Ava was discharged the same day without further evaluation.
“Instead of admitting Ava to the hospital to get her blood pressure, heart rate, and pain levels within acceptable and normal limits, Advocate employees sent Ava home with excessive pain medications,” said Matthew L. Williams, the lead trial attorney. “Ava’s body was yelling out to these clinicians, ‘help me!’ and they just ignored it.”
Court documents revealed that a nurse practitioner at the clinic prescribed Ava 100 mg of gabapentin to be taken three times a day, along with 15 mg of morphine to be taken every four hours as needed. Notably, this dosage of morphine was triple the amount she had previously been prescribed, according to The News & Observer.
The child’s oncologist did not examine her during the visit but endorsed the nurse practitioner’s prescription plan. According to the complaint, “Prior to this appointment, all of Ava’s prior morphine prescriptions to be taken at home were for just 5 mg. (The nurse practitioner) also increased Ava’s gabapentin prescription and sent her home. When taken together, the medications can make each other stronger.”
Ava died in her sleep on October 31, just one day after the clinic visit. Her attorneys stressed that she was in remission, with no detectable leukemia in her blood and a positive outlook for recovery. In a brief statement, Advocate Health and Hospitals Corporation said, “Our hearts go out to this family. We are committed to providing appropriate care to every patient. Due to patient privacy, we are unable to comment further.”