Medical errors made by doctors and nurses can have drastic and long-lasting effects on a patient's health. This is especially true when those patients are fragile newborn babies. One little girl's life was forever altered when she sustained brain damage during a procedure shortly after being born.

Now two-years-old, the little girl is not able to walk or talk. In fact, doctors do not believe she will ever be able to walk, talk or perform many everyday tasks necessary to live independently. Born a healthy baby girl, doctors noticed signs of jaundice shortly after her birth. While a common condition seen in many infants, doctors were concerned about the baby's high bilirubin levels and decided she needed to undergo a blood exchange transfusion.

During the procedure, existing blood is slowly withdrawn while fresh blood is transferred into the body via an intravenous tube. After the procedure, the girl's mother recalls that a doctor relayed the tragic news. An air bubble was present in the intravenous tube during the procedure which resulted in the baby girl suffering severe brain damage.

Since that day, the girl's parents have come to grips with the fact that their daughter will face a life-long struggle to survive. While the family has been receiving medical help and financial assistance from the hospital where the procedure took place, efforts to negotiate a more permanent financial and medical solution to ensure the long-term care of their daughter have been unsuccessful.

The family has filed a lawsuit against the medical facility to recover compensatory damages. Monies asked for in the lawsuit will help cover medical costs associated with the on-going therapy and medical care their daughter needs as well as loss in wages.

Source: Grand Rapids News, "Parents sue DeVos Children's Hospital over newborn daughter's brain damage: 'They know they are wrong'," Sue Thoms, Aug. 12, 2012