01/27/2026
As many of you know, my father passed away over a year ago at Berkeley Medical Center, and I'm finding the strength to share our story. My father bravely battled heart failure, diabetes, and excruciating neuropathy. He was admitted to Berkeley Medical on 12/30/25, and on 1/9/2026, I made the courageous decision to remove life support. We were not given the full picture, as we later discovered he had untreated pneumonia and sepsis, which we only found out through his MyChart. When I brought this to the attention of the staff, they seemed unaware, even when I showed them the information on my phone. On 1/8/2026, around 6pm, I visited my father, only to find him trying to roll out of bed without restraints, oxygen, or a nurse in sight. Once they noticed me, two nurses rushed in to provide oxygen. My father was prescribed 24/7 oxygen, but I'm still unsure how long he went without it that day. The hospital's actions were far from adequate, and I was left to make a difficult decision without being fully informed. My father suffered neglect during his 10-day stay, lacking proper pain management, nutrition, and hydration. His P*P didn't visit him once, but I'll share more about that another time. Ultimately, I had to take matters into my own hands and make the heart-wrenching decision to end life support due to the hospital's refusal to treat him. Not only did the hospital fail my father, but they also failed us after his passing by releasing his body to an unauthorized funeral home. There was no apology, only excuses. It took me three days to locate my father's body without any help from Berkeley Medical. It's taken me over a year to find my voice, and I'm sharing our story to shed light on the poor care at WVU Medicine At Berkeley Medical, hoping it may help others.
