Mom wants apology from nurse who insulted dying daughter

The mother of Kinew James, who died of a heart attack at the Regional Psychiatric Centre (RPC) in 2013, wants a proper apology from a male nurse who insulted her daughter while performing CPR on the 35-year-old.

At a coroner’s inquest on Monday, nurse Stacey Ryma admitted saying of the obese woman: “It’s like performing CPR on a waterbed.”

“It was a comment made to lighten the mood ... It was not in my professional capacity ... My apologies for saying that,” Ryma said quickly, while looking at the lawyer.

James’ mother, Grace Campbell, leaned forward with her face in her hands as Ryma continued answering questions. He said he’d taken over performing CPR compressions from another nurse. James showed no signs of life at the time, he said.

After the hearing, Campbell said she started shaking when she heard the “insensitive” remark.

“It’s not nice. When he apologized, he was looking (the other) way . ... We need a real apology,” she said.

James had been transferred to the Saskatoon facility about two months earlier. She had adult onset diabetes, which wasn’t under control, Dr. Jonathan Witt told the inquest on its first day.

He recommended proper food, more water and exercise, in addition to increasing insulin when her levels were high. Witt said he couldn’t control James’ access to sugary snacks. He had seen her levels rise to as high as 29.1.

He said he wasn’t aware she had complained of chest pain and had an abnormal ECG months earlier, while at a different prison.

Dr. David Froh was on-call after Witt left. He had never seen James in person nor seen the extensive medical history that came with her to RPC in November 2012.

Froh received a non-emergency message and spoke with a nurse who told him James’ blood sugar level had gone as high as 30 on the scale, but had fallen slightly.

Froh said the nurse gave him no indication the patient complained of feeling ill, lethargic or dizzy. If she had, he may have had her sent to the hospital, he said.

The inquest continues Tuesday and is expected to last two weeks.