BOSTON – A family originally from the South Shore is asking for answers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, after it says the hospital lost its late mother’s belongings.
Nikki DiMascola’s mother, Ruth, died suddenly on August 1, after she collapsed while out for an errand due to a ruptured brain aneurysm. Her children quickly flew to Boston, where she was on life support at Beth Israel, until her final moments.
“It was horrifying. It was my worst nightmare,” DiMascola said. “I really didn’t understand the gravity of the situation until I got to the hospital and saw her…She was not conscious. She was on a ventilator. They had already put a drain in her head.”
Belongings documented by ambulance staff
DiMascola has no problems with the care her mother received, but rather – the aftermath. When her mother was on life support, DiMascola began asking the hospital for her personal belongings, which had been documented by ambulance staff to include her purse with jewelry, her wallet, and her phone…