A mother is furious with her son’s school after she says the school nurse refused to call 911 while her child was having a stroke.
The incident occurred earlier this month at the Henderson Inclusion (Upper School) in Dorchester, Massachusetts.
According to the report, 17-year-old D’Andre Hicks was in class when he began feeling ill.
He was sent to the school nurse and told her that he felt “weak,” “shaky,” and “numb,” on his left side.
Hicks’ mother says despite those symptoms being a sign of a stroke, the nurse called her to pick him up.
While on the phone, Hicks’ mother repeatedly asked the nurse to call 911 but the nurse refused:
“Well, my professional, my medical evaluation, it doesn’t look like he needs an ambulance, somebody should come pick him up,” the nurse told the mother.
After arguing with the mother on the phone, the nurse contacted the Department of Children and Families because the mother refused to pick up her son.
The mother told reporters that she is wheel-chair bound and does not live close to the school, so it would have taken her an extended period of time to pick her son up and take him to the emergency room.
Eventually the nurse contacted emergency services and the teen was picked up from the school.
Medical staff at Tufts Medical Center diagnosed the teen with an acute ischemic stroke and used medication to stop it. The teen was then admitted to the hospital for two days.
The mother told reporters that she knew what was happening to her son because strokes run in her family:
“Listen there’s a small vessel problem on my mother’s side of the family that causes a stroke easily if there’s any blockage in it is so important to get him to the hospital right away because he could die,” she shared.
The mother says since the incident occurred, Boston School Superintendent Brenda Cassellius has since reached out to her to apologize and let the mother know that they are investigating the situation.
No word on whether the mother intends to take further action against the school.