Parents Blame Hospital Delay For Daughter Losing Limbs

INSIDE EDITION talks to the father of a little girl who says a hospital is to blame for his daughter losing her limbs after a long delay in the emergency room.

A precious little girl is living a nightmare beyond belief. Malyia Jeffers was a normal healthy 2-year-old until doctors were forced to amputate both legs and her hands. Her parents say she was neglected in a hospital emergency room. Her mother is too distraught to talk but her father told INSIDE EDITION what happened.

"I don't understand how anyone can look a child in the face when they are going through so much pain and say, 'You'll be next,' for five hours. Every hour she was getting worse. I would go up to the triage nurse and say, ‘Can you please check her out again,' " said  Ryan Jeffers.

The parents took her to the ER at Methodist Hospital in Sacramento, California after she came down with a 101 degree fever.

Malyia's skin soon became discolored and Ryan said he begged for help but his pleas were ignored for five hours.

"Finally I had enough and I told my wife the next time the emergency room doors open, just follow behind me. I'm busting in," Ryan said tearfully.
 
He said only after he demanded treatment did ER doctors finally give Malyia a blood test. The news was horrible.

"The doctor came in and said my daughter was having liver failure and they couldn't handle it," Ryan said.

He said the ER directed them to a different hospital, where doctors immediately gave the child antibiotics. Malyia was diagnosed with a life threatening form of strep and was airlifted to a trauma center two hours away. Those doctors decided the only way to stop the infection from spreading was to amputate her limbs.

"They took her left leg right at her knee and her left leg below the knee. Her left hand is gone and her right hand is there but there no fingers," Ryan explained.

The family is now suing Methodist Hospital.

"A hospital is never allowed to delay treatment so long for a sick child so long that the child is terribly injured. Methodist Hospital violated that rule and that's why we are suing them," said attorney Moseley Collins.

Methodist Hospital provided this statement: The Jeffers family continues to be in our thoughts and prayers. We have been in contact with the Jeffers' representative and are working on a solution that will support the family's needs.

After being near death for weeks, Malyia is beginning to make remarkable progress.

Malyia is now at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento where she's re-learning how to crawl at the hospital gym.
    
The family is having trouble keeping up with Malyia's mounting medical bills. A special fund has been set up for her. If you'd like to help, please make checks payable to Malyia Jeffers and mail them to:

Malyia Jeffers
Post Office Box 5062
El Dorado Hills, CA 95762