Pasadena Fire Department EMS did not become suspicious when a physicians description of me did not match my physical attributes. Physician, Gordon Sasaki was responsible for my hypoxic brain injury. He covered for his clinic O.R. nurse and surgical scrub who gave meds to me that when administered together cause respiratory failure. Sasaki administerd copious amounts of tumescent lidocaine which has epinephrine and other (my charts in all medical offices, dental office and at the hospital read that I am allergic to epinephrine). I became altered in my level of consciousness. Sasaki left me in his clinic O.R. to go to lunch. The record indicates that i was left from 11 am to 115pm. Sasaki resumed the procedure and aborted it at 2pm, but did not call EMS until about 255 pm. The record indicates that sasaki and his staff may have been working from the wrong chart because the record indicates that i am 56 and 160 lbs., i am 63 and 134 lbs on the day of the surgery. My hospital admitting diagnosis was Acute Hypoxic Respiratory failure. According to the Emergency Room notes, Sasaki lied to the emergency room physician Steve Meyer, which changed the algorithm of my care and the outcome of my care. Sasaki and his office manager, colleen brandt came to the bedside in ICU/CCU and told me that i did this to myself. I looked at the toxicology report and found Sasaki and Brandt were lying. I looked at the nurses notes and saw the nurse had scribbled and re-wrote her notes. Sasaki refused to let my colleague see me in the clinic O.R. and in the ICU/CCU. Sasaki did not call my next of kin who is an Internal Medicine physician. No one on my record was contacted. My 2 pups at home were left for 2 days in the house without food or water until people were notified that i was missing and began working together to break in the house. A friend of my health clerk at work found me at huntington hospital. Sasakis O.R. nurse could not possibly be experienced as she had no knowledge that with correct placement, urine should be in the foley catheter tube; she had to re-insert it with my directive and assistance. His nurse lies in the record of my demeanor upon arrival to the procedure. His nurse lies about me asking to be heavily medicated. The record indicates that after my admission to the floor from the emergency room, Sasaki returns to the Emergency room and "changes his story". After discharge to home, Sasaki called my Family Medicine mentor from graduate school and slandered me. The mentor called me and suggested that i sue him. I cannot sue him as he is an "expert witness for the courts; Sasakis colleagues are not comfortable speaking out. I have been in neuro rehab at casa colina in speech therapy (aphasia) and for vistibular damage (balance) and am now assigned to therapy in neuro-optometry (convergence). My diagnosis is Encephalopathy secondary to lidocaine toxicity. While in the hospital for four days, i developed an Acute Tubular Necrosis, and an enlarged right atria. I received a $70,000 invoice from Huntington Hospital, Pasadena, CA. This week, i saw a plastic surgeon. He said that the timing of the seizure in the Emergency Room was consistent with the tumescent lidocaine overdose. His anesthesiologist said that i cannot have surgery until 18 months post event. I have had a similar procedure in the past with Dr. O'Toole where i was completely awake, watched him do the procedure, and went home and watched a movie and danced with happiness that same day. Because of my professional rapport with sasaki, he permitted a video of my procedure. The video was deleted from my cell phone when i became injured. Sasaki and Brandt were more concerned about covering the error than saving my life. When i woke in the ICU/CCU, the nurse said, do you remember anything; you nearly died. 3 months after i reported Sasaki to the DEA and other agencies, Sasaki returned some money held in account for facial hair removal etc., and about $3000 out of $7600 for this aborted procedure. read more

Thanks to a concerned citizen, Margaret S., my family is alive today. Thanks to the quick response, to this late night/ early morning cry for help, we are alive and well today. Thank you Engine 37. Thank you. Thank you. Let me begin by saying that my life has been full of surprises lately. The surprises are both good and bad. Recently, I was racially discriminated against. I have abandoned trust and my senses because I feel inadequate and alone. I fear for my kids safety and my own. As I have begun to lose hope, many silent and boisterous supporters have come forward. There are also those that would like to suppress my voice and my right to being equal. I have been contemplating moving from Pasadena to forge a better existence for my kids. I have been searching for answers to questions that I believed we all abolished a century ago. Will anyone save me? This morning, I was given an answer to one of my many questions. Amidst my chaos came order and comfort. Although I have lost myself, the fire department refused to let me go. Early this morning, an arsonist rammed the Los Angeles County Flood control gates of the Sierra Madre Debris basin and set fire to the ravine adjacent to my back yard. Multiple explosions were heard, but from my yard no threat could be seen. I checked my kids and then tried to quiet my agitated dogs. I found myself not heeding their fear. I found myself frustrated with trespassers, animal cruelty, and a hostile/ unkind neighborhood. I thought that my uneasiness was simply my distrust of myself. I usually call the Police when the dogs get upset, I did not act upon these queues this morning. I usually check on the horses and affirm that they are safe. I did none of this. I had given up. Seldom, do I sleep. Last night I slept. When I awoke, I drove my two oldest children to school. I saw the broken gate. I assumed that this is how my community wants things to be. Heart broken, I went to work. Mid day, I sought refuge within my dear friend's day spa, Thespa Sante. As I sat contemplating my next move and my dreaded upheaval and relocation to an unfamiliar city, I overheard a women retelling her nightmares from the night past. Margaret S. described what seemed like my back yard. She further described the hillside behind my home and hers. She asked me my address and then confirmed that she was the one that called 911 about a fire that was set next to my yard. Soulfully, she looked at me, and stated that if the wind had blown last night, my home and my horses would have perished. She has never met me, and did not know that I was her neighbor. She did not know that I have beautiful creatures roaming about in my yard and home. She only knew that a fire in this particular ravine would disseminate and destroy our beautiful neighborhood, homes and livelihood. Although, she stated that she made two calls, Engine 37 had arrived with sirens, firefighters, and a brigade, before she could utter a word in the second call. These were not fire men or women, these were firefighters!!! No one was going to tend this fire. They were there to stomp out this fire. They were there to stomp out this hatred that has been breeding around my home. They were there to protect all of us. They were there to silently save me. I am deeply moved this evening. It is the selfless acts of these humans that has instilled hope in me. If I do leave, it will only be with all of them by my side. I will remain civil. I will cherish my civil servants for discerning between private rights rather than criminal behavior. I applaud these citizens. They are commendable and deserve recognition. I do not have a fancy plaque or medal to bestow upon them. I can only express my heart felt appreciation. Thank you Margaret S. Thank you Engine 37. If you need to call upon me, I will not hesitate, nor will I fail you. Deepest admiration and appreciation, Melissa Tyson, DVM read more