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j Hospital settles l with boy’s family| IOWA CITY (AP) - ThI family of a 7-year-old boy wh almost died after a nurse gav | him an adult dose of chemother I apy drugs will receive $304,00i I from a $526,000 settlemen reached last month with the state The mother of David McElvogu said that the settlement is mon than the family expected.“All we wanted was justice fo David, nothing else,” LaDawi McElvogue said by telephone from the family’s home in De: Moines.The boy, who suffers fron ■ Fanconi anemia, a deadly genet ic blood disorder, received ; bone marrow transplant a University Hospitals in Jul\ 1997. He was admitted again ir January 1998 to receive antibi otics for a fever.On Jan. 10, a nurse mistakenl) gave him a chemotherapy dru£ in a dosage intended for some one five times his size.His parents Filed a $ 1 1 million claim with the Iowa Appeals Board. As medical bills continued to pile up, they upped the claim to $2.25 million.In settling the claim, the state admits “a serious mistake was made,” said Craig Kelinson, special assistant attorney general. “ We’re sorry that the mistake did occur.”The drug attacked David’s intestines and other parts of his system, his mother said. She has said she thinks her son’s lungs were permanently harmed.Kelinson said the claim went to mediation because experts were divided over the long-term effects of the mistake and whether David’s condition was due to his illness or the improper medication.David’s mother said Thursday that he had made a remarkable recover. His lung function is still low, she said, but otherwise “everything’s going real well.” He began the third grade earlier this year and has kept up well despite the months of classes, he missed last year.For months, the family traveled between Iowa and Delaware to see Dr Michael Trigg, a former University of Iowa doctor who had treated David in Iowa City.“It feels great because now we’ve been able to stay home with our other children,” LaDawn McElvogue said The McElvogues have four other children
Newspaper Details
Estherville Daily News
Estherville, Iowa, US
Sat, Dec 18, 1999
Page 3
Full Page
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NA, 06 Mar 2025
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