A dedicated daughter. A caring sister.
That was Elena Guadalupe Bernal in life and how she will be
remembered in death. Bernal, 13, died Friday at Stanford University
Medical Center after suffering a seizure, caused by a brain tumor
found just several days before.
Hollister – A dedicated daughter. A caring sister.
That was Elena Guadalupe Bernal in life and how she will be remembered in death. Bernal, 13, died Friday at Stanford University Medical Center after suffering a seizure, caused by a brain tumor found just several days before.
Bernal, a vivacious student at Rancho San Justo Middle School, was considered in good health by family and friends. She almost never got sick or went to the doctor. But starting in January, the girl began complaining of a constant headache, prompting her mother to take her to the San Benito Health Foundation for a check up. The nurses there took blood and sent the girl home, but the symptoms only worsened.
Soon Bernal was throwing up and losing weight, fast. Lucy Cendejas, her aunt, took the girl to Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital emergency room and demanded that X-rays be taken.
“They said it wasn’t necessary and when we asked for a bed for her, they said they had no room,” said Cendejas. Bernal stayed at the hospital for several hours that day, but was eventually released home and told to rest, according to her family.
Officials at Hazel Hawkins are prohibited from commenting on the tragedy because of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, passed in 1996 to protect patient confidentiality, according to Frankie Valent, spokeswoman for Hazel Hawkins.
By this time, the teen was so sick that she had stopped going to school and had lost over 10 pounds in less than a month. And although no one knew it at the time, a tumor was quickly swelling inside her brain, pushing on her eye so much that she could not even lift her eyelid, said Valerie Arrocena, a family friend.
On Feb. 8, Bernal suffered a seizure and was taken to Hazel Hawkins and immediately air lifted to Stanford University Medical Center. The doctors tried CPR and gave the girl medications to revive her heart, but nothing worked.
“She never woke up again,” said Arrocena, who is also a nurse and met the Bernal family through taking care of their oldest son, Florencio Jr, 20, who suffers from a neuromuscular disease and lives at a Saratoga medical facility.
Arrocena said that even though the family didn’t have a car, Bernal and her mom, also named Elena, visited Florencio, who is bed-ridden, often. They brought him food and sat with him, the young girl even massaging her brother’s feet.
“She was so affectionate,” said Lucy Cendejas, Elena’s godmother. “She always helped her mother and was so sweet and loving.”
The family is angry at what they call negligence on behalf of Hazel Hawkins Hospital and said they might consider a lawsuit.
Even though her time with her family was brief, Bernal’s mother said she will always remember her beautiful little girl, who carried her bag when they walked down the street and took care of everyone.
A rosary and vigil service will be held Thursday at 7pm at Black Cooper Sander Funeral Home. Mass will be held on Friday at 10 am at Sacred Heart Church followed by internment at Calvary Cemetery. The family has also started the Elena Bernal Memorial Fund to off-set the costs of the burial. Donations can be made in her name and sent to: San Benito Bank, P.O. Box 60645, Santa Barbara, CA 93160.
Karina Ioffee covers education and agriculture for the Free Lance. Reach her at (831)637-5566 ext. 335 or
ki*****@fr***********.com
