SASKATOON, Sask. — The family of the late Kirsten Hanke believes her death could have been prevented if she had received the medical care she needed after breaking her ankle in three places and dislocating it after falling from a step.
Morgan Kirby, Hanke’s partner, said she was rushed to the Royal University Hospital emergency room to be treated on Aug. 12 after injuring herself. She was sent home afterward to wait for her surgery, set for Aug. 15, and advised to take extra-strength Advil and Tylenol alternately. He recounted that when the day of the surgery came, a Saturday, they went to the hospital, followed all the directions and checked in to go to the bed that Hanke was supposed to get into. Nurses were surprised to see them and asked who they were.
“There was no information for Kirsten at that hospital at all. There were no records that they had that they knew that they were coming in for,” said Kirby, who was flanked by Hanke’s parents, Kelly and Shawna, during a media event on Friday, Sept. 18, at Seeley Park, where Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck and associate Shadow Health Minister Keith Jorgenson were also present.
Kirby added they spent the next two hours explaining to the nurses who Hanke was, what had happened and why she was there. Hanke was completely immobile because of the broken right ankle and a severe sprain to her left ankle, and was also very sick and vomiting.
After waiting about seven or eight hours, a doctor came into the room and told them Hanke’s surgery would be bumped. However, they were told to go home, and they had not discussed Hanke’s condition with the doctor or whether she should remain in hospital. As they prepared to leave, Kirby asked the charge nurse whether it was appropriate to send someone who was completely immobile home before surgery. The nurse replied that Hanke should not leave, but they still left because they were told to.
Three days later, Kirby said Hanke went for a preoperative CT scan and collapsed while returning home with her mother. An ambulance was called, but Hanke suffered cardiac arrest after a blood clot travelled to her lungs. Efforts were made to revive her, and she was put on life support. Shortly after midnight, the family decided to remove her from life support. He believed Hanke’s immobility and other circumstances should have prompted closer monitoring and treatment to prevent a blood clot.
“I’m not a medical professional. Unfortunately, we’re not doctors. They are, and they should do their job, not us,” said Kirby, who added that Hanke was also taking birth control pills, which they had previously been warned could increase the risk of blood clots.
He said Hanke did not receive detailed instructions for managing the risks of being unable to walk at home. The advice they received was to elevate her legs, while her condition was managed with over-the-counter painkillers.
“I'm not doing very well. The way I'm coping with this is fighting for her. It's the only thing I can do. I wake up, I'm alone. I go to bed, I'm alone. I don't have my person anymore … I think people saw this coming. I think everyone here isn't that shocked, right? No one's shocked, and that's the scary part. We should be shocked right now. We should be floored, and we're not because we've heard this happen way too many times. It keeps happening, [it] keeps happening. [It] can't happen,” said Kirby.
Despite still coping with the loss, Kirby said telling Hanke’s story and advocating for changes could help prevent another family from experiencing what they did. He added that they will treasure every moment they had with Hanke and have her infectious laugh in their memories.
Beck said they are now calling for an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Hanke’s death and said her family deserves answers about what happened between breaking her ankle and later dying due to a blood clot that reached her lungs.
“They don’t want this to be a pitched political battle in some way. They want this to be a real inquiry into getting access to the underlying causes, what could have been done, and some recommendations around what needs to happen,” said Beck.
She said she wants Hanke’s death to become a catalyst for changes in Saskatchewan’s health-care system. She said the family’s efforts should not be dismissed as a political dispute and that the circumstances deserve urgency, attention and real action rather than broad promises about future health-care improvements.
“Let’s agree on this. This didn’t have to happen for this family, that it’s not acceptable, and that we need to do everything we can in this province to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” said Beck.
Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill, in a statement, offered his condolences to the Hanke family and their loved ones, declined to comment further on the case and said the Saskatchewan Health Authority will conduct the inquiry.
“The safety of patients continues to be our government’s focus, and while I cannot comment on the specifics of the case due to privacy legislation and patient confidentiality, I expect the SHA to thoroughly examine the circumstances surrounding this incident and take any appropriate action identified through the review process to support the delivery of safe, high-quality care for Saskatchewan patients and families,” said Cockrill.
