Ashley’s story begins with a parent’s worst fear: her young daughter suffered a seizure during a high fever.
On Monday, Ashley claims her child had been showing symptoms of a 24-hour stomach bug other family members had over the weekend. On Tuesday, they visited the child’s primary doctor, who prescribed medication for nausea. The vomiting stopped but the fever persisted.
On Wednesday morning, at 7:30 a.m., the child was sleeping on the couch when she had a seizure. Ashley says she rushed her to St. Francis Medical Center. In the ER, staff diagnosed strep throat but told Ashley they could not treat children under three and discharged the child without medication.
“I didn’t feel right about it,” Ashley said. “Something just didn’t sit well with me.”
After leaving the hospital, Ashley says she called the child’s primary doctor, who immediately requested she bring her daughter in. The PCP and other staff were reportedly shocked that the ER denied treatment to a child who was sick to the point of seizures. There, the child received an antibiotic injection and prescriptions for further treatment. Ashley stressed that proper care was critical, as untreated strep can lead to serious complications such as scarlet fever and even vision problems.
Ashley also noted confusion during the ER visit when the doctor questioned her dosing of Tylenol, suggesting it might have caused the seizure. After confirming with her primary doctor that the dosage she had given — brand-name infant Tylenol — was correct, Ashley was left frustrated by the uncertainty and lack of clear communication.
“This isn’t the first time I’ve been burned by St. Francis,” Ashley said. Years earlier, she says she had gone to St. Francis three times while severely ill and was repeatedly told she had the flu. It wasn’t until a family member took her to another hospital on Christmas Day that she was diagnosed with pneumonia and a partially collapsed lung.
Ashley’s experience is part of a larger pattern reported by families in the community — particularly involving infants, young children, and postpartum patients.
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