An Albany, NY mother, Shamaya Jackson, is suing Albany Medical Center, alleging the hospital’s actions led to the death of her one-month-old daughter, Milani. Jackson’s filed suit alleges wrongful death, medical malpractice, vicarious liability, and lack of informed consent.She claims her daughter was admitted multiple times in April for respiratory issues, but the hospital discharged her despite “a significant, life-threatening condition” that ultimately caused her death.

Jackson also claims she wasn’t told about any of the treatments used on her daughter in the times she had been admitted into the hospital. Milani had been treated for MRSA and E. coli, but Jackson wasn’t informed, “They didn’t tell me they were treating her for MRSA … a small baby shouldn’t have endured.” 

Jackson claims the hospital “inexplicably discharged” her the next day after her initial visit, despite her daughter’s deteriorating condition. Jackson believed that the hospital didn’t take her daughter’s illness seriously, allowing her to continue suffering until she succumbed to her illness. 

Jackson first brought Milani to the hospital on April 9, when Milani was two weeks old and having trouble breathing.The family’s GoFundMe describes Milani’s initial symptoms as resembling a “cold.”Jackson said she wasn’t given much information or answers to her questions about her daughter’s condition before getting sent home. 

It was Milani’s wheezing and shortness of breath that brought them back to the hospital on April 25. According to the suit, Milani’s oxygen levels dropped into the 80s, and she was diagnosed with “acute hypoxic respiratory failure secondary to human metapneumovirus bronchiolitis.” When Milani’s condition worsened the next day, Jackson brought her back again to Albany Medical Center. Milani was suffering from shortness of breath and was gasping for air. Jackson claimed they had to wait for “some time” for any answers or help. Milani died on April 28, one day after Jackson brought her back to the hospital.

The Jackson family has shown up at the Albany Medical Center after Milani’s death to protest, and Shamaya said they will continue to protest so they know who she is and know her name.

Albany Medical Center told People that it was “unable to comment on matters pertaining to patient confidentiality.”The center emphasized that, as the only children’s hospital in the region, it treats more than 1,100 critically ill or injured children annually, and that pediatric intensive care “quality care and patient safety are always our top priority.”