Manitoba Health Officer accepts racism in the care of an indigenous person who died of cancer

A Manitoba Health Authority has accepted an indigenous person, who had returned to his cancer four months after the delay, was under racism while demanding treatment.

Stephen Rockwell’s mother, Leona Massan, said that in July, health officials provided “a small of peace”, but it does not reduce the pain of a health care system that separated his son during three direct visits to Thompson’s hospital at the end of 2023.

Masan said that there were finally “tumors” everywhere after the CT scan.

“And these people here at Thompson General Hospital, they victimized him.”

Rockwell, who worked as a community security officer in Thompson and dreamed of becoming a police officer, was a “big goffball”, who enjoyed making people laugh, her sister Stacey Rockwell said, but in early 2023 he was not working as herself. And his flu like flu was not allowed.

He was detected in acute myelogenous leukemia. After receiving chemotherapy, they entered the summer discount.

But by October, Stephen’s health began to fail.

He was going to cross–ide, which a doctor insisted on stress from fighting cancer.

Stephen complained of severe back pain, due to which the drug was prescribed, but nothing more than this.

Stacey Rockwell said that a medical professional accused his brother who did not use drugs, only to visit the hospital to get drugs.

He said, “He was treated like this,” you are a drug-wanted, “” he removes any other indigenous (person) from the road, “he said, a common stereotype referring to indigenous people.”

“That story was placed on it, which is wrong.”

His family argues that the medical staff dismissed a patient with severe pain, which was regularly worthy of monitoring as complications are possible by the diagnosis of cancer.

With not going anywhere else, Masan took his son to a bone Vaidya, who saw a mass in his spine and hip. The coward wrote a letter that the hospital of Thompson was requested.

First, a doctor in the hospital is being asked to follow the recommendation of a Had Vaidya, Masanson said.

“And I said,” Sorry, it also says (his name) in front of the doctor, “he said.

Stephen was quickly given a CT scan, identifying the tumor on the left side of his spine, hip, abdomen, and his back, said Masanson, and then taken to a cancarcare facility in Vinnipeg.

He undergone an aggressive chemotherapy regime and a stem cell transplant – the latter at the insistence of Stacey – but they decreased.

He died on 13 March 2024, four months after his return of leukemia. He was 33 years old.

“I always wonder what about IF,” Masan said.

“What if they had listened to us? What if they have given him fast treatment?”

He contributed some racism to the medical treatment received by his son.

His son must have agreed, Masan said. He said that once the doctors asked to treat him like everyone else in the ward, he said.

At one point, his son turned to him and said that he might not have gone to the hospital.

This is because her mother looked more indigenous than her, and perhaps impressed in the way a member of the Shamattwa First Nation was treated.

“You know how much hurt?” He said, look down. “Even today it hurts.

“Maybe I should not have gone to the hospital with him. Perhaps he would have treated him better.”

When her children were born, she decided to give her the nickname of her Irish father. He thought that it could separate them from the racism he experienced.

It is a shocking that it was not, Masans said.

In July, he again called the office of Manitoba Health Minister Uzoma Asgwara to voicing his concerns, making the Northern Regional Health Authority a later meeting with the mosque that month.

During his three -hour meeting, the authorities admitted that Stephen received racist treatment while reaching health care, said Massan.

Asgwara, who says that systemic racism is present in the health system, appreciated northern health for accepting racism in this case.

“Now we have to do that unpacking and ensure that it is moving,” Asgwara said.

“Diagnosis of cancer is challenging for anyone,” the minister said. “It is really unfair to add racism experiences to that health care journey.”

Massan said that it had originally sent a letter to Asgwara’s office in November 2024, but the province said that there is no record of that correspondence last month.

Northern health said in a statement that it is committed to eliminating all forms of indigenous-specific racism. The Authority signed an announcement to an effect in 2022, which included more education promises for employees around anti-racism, cultural proficiency and indigenous cultural security.

In June, the province released a report that contains colored people, including patients who identify as indigenous, Generally spend longer Waiting room compared to white people in the Vinypeg emergency department.

While Masanson requested another meeting with northern health to discuss the next stages, his family is learning to be a life -compatible without Stephen, who say he was a loving father and husband.

His mother still keeps an eye on her phone, waiting for her text or call.

His sister Stacey struggled to accept that his decision to donate stem cells to his younger brother was not enough to save his life.

And his three children are surprised, especially his youngest daughter, now four years old, who thought that there was a chance to see his father again for a visit to the hospital.

“When her mother went with her, she was right – ‘Are we here to see Daddy? Are we going to meet Daddy?” Stacey Rockwell said.

“And it is heartbreaking, because she does not understand.”