An elderly woman had her leg amputated in hospital. Her prosthetics, dentures and even her mother’s ashes were missing when she woke up
An elderly woman in Detroit, Michigan, is reeling after she says her belongings disappeared while she was hospitalized to have her left leg amputated earlier this month.
Pamala Bronner was admitted to Harper Hospital this month and underwent surgery to have her leg amputated, local outlet Fox 2 reports. Bronner has been a patient at the hospital before and has received treatment for a blood disease. She has also battled breast cancer.
Her treatment this month involved a stay in the ICU. “They kept me in ICU for five days trying to get blood flow through my legs, and my foot and leg turned black,” she told the outlet.
Bronner claims her belongings vanished after she came out of the ICU.
“It has really messed with me, I’m just horrified by all of this,” she told Fox 2.
She says the items that vanished include her purse and clothes; her prosthetic leg; her dentures; a necklace with her mother’s ashes inside; and her late sister’s watch.
“I need my prosthesis to be able to walk,” Bronner said. “It’s beyond ridiculous, and everybody that works here and over at Harper says they have never heard of anything like this before.”
Bronner said she’s spoken to multiple hospital officials, but no one has found her items or offered her compensation.
A spokesperson for Detroit Medical Center, which operates the hospital, told Fox 2 that each year, their team cares for “thousands of patients, including those arriving with critical conditions and in emergency situations where belongings may not be immediately inventoried.”
“We have processes in place to secure patients’ items whenever possible,” the spokesperson added. “If something is reported missing, we investigate thoroughly and work directly with the patient to address the matter.”
Ever since her items disappeared, Bronner has been keeping detailed notes about her experience from her outpatient rehab bed, Fox 2 reports.
Since publishing Bronner’s story, the outlet reports that multiple other people have reached out to them reporting similar experiences. However, the outlet noted they still need “to vet” those claims.
The Independent has contacted Detroit Medical Center for comment.
