Chapter 11 Summary and Analysis

November 25, 1986 was the day Lia's doctors had dreaded. Lia had been suffering from a mild runny nose for a few days and had a diminished appetite. She had a seizure around dinner time. The seizure passed but her parents noted that she remained "sick" and requested ambulance transport for her to MCMC. The EMT who arrived at the scene attempted to stabilize her but was not able to. Realizing that important time was being lost, the EMT ordered the driver to rush back to the hospital while he continued his attempts in the back of the ambulance. When Lia arrived at the hospital she was still unresponsive. She was attended by a team of emergency room staff, nurses, and residents who desperately tried to intubate her and start an intravenous line. Both proved difficult. When the IV line was finally placed...