Sask. group home knew teen who died from septic shock asked for medical attention: Inquest

An inquest into the 2022 death of Brandon Schafer-Kovacs began Monday, with the boy's mother taking the stand. Keenan Sorokan has the details.

A 14-year-old Saskatchewan boy died of severe septic shock following a deadly co-infection of strep and influenza contracted while staying at an Eagles Nest group home, an inquest heard Monday.

Brandon Schafer Kovacs was staying in an Eagle’s Nest Youth Ranch residence in November 2022 when he reported feeling ill. On Nov. 25, he was checked into the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital. He died there three days later.

Now, a coroner’s inquest in Saskatoon is examining the circumstances of his death.

According to Dr. Gregory Hansen, who cared for Schafer Kovacs in his last hours in the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU), the teen was diagnosed with two respiratory infections – strep pneumococcus and influenza A — both factors contributing to the pneumonia he developed.

Hansen said infections with strep pneumo. or influenza A alone have a survival rate approaching 100 per cent. When both infections develop together, animal research finds a mortality rate over 90 per cent within 40 hours.

“They act synergistically,” he said.

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What eventually killed the 14-year-old boy, according to Hansen, was severe septic shock.

“What I can say with 100 per cent medical certainty is anytime that you’re dealing with sepsis — and sepsis is really a fancy word for a bad infection that causes a massive inflammatory response to the body and causes certain organ systems to shut down — the earlier that these children can get antibiotics, the better.”

Hansen advised the jury to consider how the teen presented to staff at the care home. Based on that, would they have known to hospitalize him earlier?

The jury heard from Chantelle Schafer, the teen’s mother, who testified she felt the care home did not keep her well informed of Schafer Kovacs’ physical condition.

Beginning in January 2022, Schafer said she noticed a “significant amount of weight loss” in her son, who suffered severe mental health issues and required 24/7 care.

Schafer said her son had also contracted pneumonia in April 2022, but she didn’t learn this until she began preparing for the inquest.

On Monday, Nov. 21 — four days before her son was admitted to the PICU — Schafer was turned away from her scheduled visit. She learned he was ill and had stayed home from school.

A few days later, Schafer said she was informed her son was still sick and wasn’t eating, but was getting Pedialyte to keep him hydrated.

When Eagles Nest youth worker Valentina Perrin took the stand Monday afternoon, the jury heard she asked her program manager to buy Pedialyte, but when they failed to buy any, she gave the teen her own homemade version.

On Thursday, the day before her son was admitted to the ICU, Schafer said she stopped by the home to pick up her purse and check on him.

“He was slurring his words, and he said that his back really hurt,” she said.

“I never understood why they didn’t take him [to hospital sooner]. He asked them repeatedly. I asked them repeatedly,” said Schafer, pushing her long brown hair away from her face to wipe away the tears running down her cheeks.

Two youth workers who cared for the teen testified he never asked to go to hospital, but the jury heard contradictory evidence.

A report shared between staff indicated Schafer Kovacs asked to go to hospital eight days before his death, and another youth worker, Kamya Thomas, later testified staff were aware of it.

Thomas testified that Perrin said the boy was likely faking sick to get out of school. Thomas, who no longer works for Eagles Nest, said she deferred to Perrin because she had less experience at that home.

Perrin testified there was no functioning thermometer in the house that week and they were unable to check if he had fever. She gave him Tylenol and Advil based on the guidance on the boxes of medication, she said.

But Thomas acknowledged the teen did show clear signs of fever, and asked for extra blankets.

Perrin said by Thursday evening, she realized Schafer Kovacs may need to be hospitalized.

“He wasn’t getting better,” she said — his lips were dry, cracked and bleeding, and his back was sore, which was unusual for him.

Thomas speculated there may have been reluctance to bring Schafer Kovacs to hospital because the home was short-staffed and it would mean taking a youth worker out of play for an extended period.

On Tuesday, the inquest is expected to hear more testimony from Eagles Nest staff, the Ministry of Social Services and another doctor who was responsible for the teen’s care.