Family demanding answers after Sask. mother dies from pregnancy complications

Jaali Weenie-Sutherland died following pregnancy complications last month. Her family is demanding an investigation. (Stacey Hein/CTV News)

What was supposed to be a celebration became a time of grief for the loved ones of a Saskatchewan woman who died following pregnancy complications.

Fighting back tears, Blayne Morin spoke about his partner, Jaali Weenie-Sutherland, who died in hospital last month at the age of 24.

“Not a day goes by without me thinking of her,” Morin said during a news conference Monday.

The couple was excited to welcome their baby into the world, he said, and had already started planning trips to upcoming powwows and ceremonies.

“We were just getting prepared for her baby shower and then that’s when everything happened,” he said.

Weenie-Sutherland’s family said she went to Rosthern Hospital on April 25 after he reported severe back pain, trouble breathing and had coughed up blood.

The family said she was transferred to Royal University Hospital and then Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital in Saskatoon, where she was diagnosed with preeclampsia, a serious pregnancy complication that can cause high blood pressure and organ damage. The family said she spent an estimated 14 hours in an observation room.

They said she was later moved to labour and delivery, where she died less than two hours later.

Her baby girl survived, but Weenie-Sutherland’s mother, Cynthia Weenie, was left grieving her own daughter.

“We were just supposed to embark on this journey of mother, daughter, granddaughter, and now we can’t. My baby Jaali’s gone,” Weenie told reporters.

Weenie-Sutherland’s family and the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations said warning signs were missed, her concerns were dismissed, and critical care was delayed or denied.

They are calling for a full and transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding Weenie-Sutherland’s death.

“The family continues to carry difficult questions about decisions that were made,” said Jaye Cameron, a family spokesperson. “Who made those decisions to leave Jaali in the observation room.”

In a statement, the Saskatchewan Health Authority said it cannot comment on specific clinical details in order to protect personal health information.

“Any maternal death during labour or delivery is immediately investigated as a critical incident. This process is underway,” the SHA said.

The health authority also noted it has met with the family, and members of its First Nations and Métis Health team are supporting “culturally respectful and compassionate communication.”

Weenie-Sutherland’s family said she had earned a social work degree and was set to graduate next month.

They remembered her as loving, compassionate and always ready to listen.