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Arizona mother describes horror and relief of son being discovered alive in hospital morgue: 'I just screamed in relief'
An Arizona toddler pronounced dead after a near-drowning was found breathing in a hospital morgue five hours later by a coroner’s employee.
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An Arizona mother has described the agonising emotional rollercoaster of learning her toddler survived hours inside a hospital morgue after a doctor pronounced him dead.
Alexus Fiordilino’s son had been placed in the hospital morgue following a drowning accident at their Gilbert home. However, later, transport workers from the coroner's office uncovered that the toddler was still breathing.
Fiordilino, in a recent interview with NBC News, recalled thinking her kid was breathing while hugging him goodbye. However, the doctor told her that it was the kid’s last gasps. The physician allegedly also told her that trying to prolong his life at that point would only increase his agony.
“As a mom you don’t want to hear that,” said Fiordilino. “I didn’t want him to suffer. It seemed to be they’d done everything they could. And then he called it.”
However, about five hours later, when the police were questioning her and her husband about the drowning, a detective informed them that their son was still alive. A medical examiner’s employee who came to take away the 18-month-old’s body found he was breathing.
“My husband and I just screamed in relief,” she said. “We were praising the Lord. We were crying. To go from hearing he was gone and then finding out he isn’t gone, it’s an unexplainable feeling.”
What had happened?
On February 8, Vincent Lorenzo Fiordilino was brought to Dignity Health Mercy Gilbert Medical Center in Gilbert after being found in his family’s pool. An hour after arriving, the toddler was pronounced dead by Dr Aryan Toosi.
According to an Associated Press report, two police officers claimed seeing “signs of life” in the child after he was pronounced dead. However, they were allegedly shut down by the doctor.
“Please do your thing and let me do my thing,” Dr Aryan Toosi told an officer at one point, according to the police report. “I went to medical school for a reason.”
However, Vincent was found alive hours later and flown to another hospital. The boy survived and has now been released.
Recalling the day, Fiordilino told the People, “I didn’t even think stuff like that happened. I thought I lost my baby and he was back,” adding, “There isn’t a day I don’t think about that day.”
Why were the parents questioned?
Initially, the Gilbert police recommended pressing negligence charges against the parents. The investigators said that there was a strong odour of marijuana at the home and they suspected that the kid was left unsupervised, which caused him to end up in the pool.
“Both admitted to smoking marijuana the morning of the drowning,” the police report said.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell later announced that the parents would not be charged.
Family seeks justice
John Brewer, lawyer for Fiordilino, said he is planning to file a formal complaint against the hospital and Toosi, NBC News reported.
“The parents were faced with having to decide whether to keep trying to revive their son, and the doctor provided them with false information,” Brewer said. “That’s beyond a conscious disregard for human life.”
Doctor’s lawyer responds:
Scott Holden, Toosi’s lawyer, released a statement in response. “Dr Toosi’s thoughts are with the young patient and family, and he wishes the child continued healing and recovery,” it said. “His commitment to delivering high-quality care has always been rooted in a desire to provide healing, safety and comfort to his community.”
What did the hospital say?
Calling the situation “heartbreaking” in a statement, the hospital added, “Out of respect for the patient’s privacy, we cannot share any information and we are unable to comment on those involved in patient care. Patient safety and exceptional care are our highest priorities.”
How is the kid doing?
Fiordilino told NBC News, “He’s getting better.” Brewer explained that while the boy survived the ordeal, he was left with many health challenges.
“Vincent is severely brain-injured,” he said. “He can’t swallow. He seizes up. He can’t sit up on his own or crawl.”
Parents set up fundraiser:
Vincent’s parents have also set up a GoFundMe page to collect funds for his recovery. The family wrote, “Vincent is breathing on his own with the assistance of a ventilator while his lungs continue to heal. Doctors are taking things slowly, allowing Vincent’s body to guide the pace of his recovery. They are amazed by his strength and have lovingly begun calling him ‘the miracle baby’.”
They added that while they are “overwhelmed with gratitude” for all the support the people showed, they are also left with huge medical expenses. Their goal is to raise $28,000, and they have already reached 92% of it by collecting $25,751.
