The death of a young, vibrant, single mother is beyond tragic. When that death could have been avoided, it is infuriating. When it is at the hand of a chiropractor, it is time for things to change.
TMZ broke the story this week that Katie May's death on February 4th of this past year was due to a chiropractic adjustment.
Katie sought relief from a pinched nerve by visiting a chiropractor which is recounted in her tweets from the days leading up to her death.
According to other tweets, she returned to the chiropractor on February 1st. Later that day, she complained of numbness and dizziness which resulted in her being admitted into the hospital. The following day, she was unconscious and two days later - she passed away.
Katie's stroke was unexpected and shocking and left a mystery surrounding her death. Now, eight months later, we know the cause of her death - a "neck manipulation by chiropractor" according to her death certificate. The LA Country Coroner explained that the adjustment shifted her neck resulting in the artery tear, leading to a stroke from which she never recovered.
The real tragedy here is that her death was preventable and a seven year old has lost her mother because care was sought from a chiropractor, not a medical professional.
Katie's brother, Stephen May, told PEOPLE in February, upon her death,
- “To the best of my family’s knowledge, and we are fairly but not totally certain of this, Katie did not seek medical care prior to Monday evening; if she had, it seems reasonable to conclude, the subsequent days would have unfolded very differently.”
The other tragedy is that more than 18 million adults and more than two million children visit chiropractors and this could happen to any one of them, as well.
From a gofundme.com page established for Katie's daughter's education,
- "Through the courage, drive, spirit, and heart she showed in dreaming big and working tirelessly to realize whatever she set her mind to, Katie May—mother, daughter, sister, friend; star—inspired all of us, in Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, and the world, to be better, stronger, bolder, to do more."
Notes:
You can read Katie May's obituary here
