‘My daughter deserved to live': Oakland family blames Kaiser for woman's death

An Oakland family grieving the death of their daughter is blaming Kaiser's health care system.

The family of 26-year-old Brejai Boudreaux claim their daughter's concerns and condition were not taken seriously, and demand change to prevent others from experiencing the same loss.

"She was a caring, generous person. She loved to cook. She loved traveling. She loved her son dearly," Lasondra Ray said describing her daughter Boudreaux. "She had goals and dreams that she was going after."

Those dreams ended on Nov. 5 when Boudreaux was admitted to Kaiser's San Leandro Medical Center for cyclical vomiting syndrome. She never came home.

"It's this severe nausea and vomiting, and it's nonstop," Ray said. "You get no sleep. You get no relief."

It was an illness Boudreaux has lived with since she was a freshman in high school, resulting in frequent hospital visits, including being treated and released twice just days before she died.

Hours after Boudreaux was admitted on Nov. 5, her parents got a call saying she was non-responsive. It is something her father said does not make sense.

"If she was monitored, you guys would have known," Ray said, adding the family believes Boudreaux was ignored "because she comes in here all the time with the same illness."

Cardiac arrest is the official cause of Boudreaux's death.

Ray believes standard protocol required her daughter be placed on a heart monitor due to her condition and said that never happened.

"I was talking to her because I couldn't believe she was passed on. I couldn't believe it. All she needed was fluid, to be monitored," Ray said. "They didn't do that, and I don't know why. I have no reason, I have no answer for you why they didn't, because they normally do."

For months, Ray said she attempted to get medical records for the Nov. 5 admission from Kaiser and a meeting with her care team. Kaiser sent records for different days and surprisingly, records for another patient, according to Ray.

"It makes you question what happened," said Sharon Washington, an executive director for "Change 4 Shawn," a nonprofit helping families navigate the health care system in cases of medical negligence. "Is there a reason for these records to not just be sent over the very first time we called? What are you hiding? What didn't happen that day that probably should have happened?"

Now the family said the first time anyone from Kaiser contracted them directly about their daughter's death was after NBC Bay Area reached out to the health care provider about the issue. The family is still waiting for the proper documents.

In a statement, Kaiser Permanente said patient privacy laws prevent them from addressing details of the case. The health care provider went on to say "We are fully committed to listening to patients and their families, answering questions, or addressing concerns that may arise. We apologize if we ever fall short, and remain committed to resolving concerns."

Boudreaux's family has filed a state complaint against the hospital and said they are contemplating legal action, including a civil rights complaints for discrimination.

"The goal is to make sure any person that walks into a medical facility, especially one that looks like me, knows how to advocate for themselves," Washington said.

Meanwhile, Boudreaux's family wants stricter policies, more awareness and stricter adherence to protocol to prevent other families from similar heartbreak.

"Brejai deserved, like anybody deserved best health care," Ray said. "She deserved to be monitored. My daughter deserved to live. She deserved fair, unbiased medical treatment. She didn't deserve to be ignored."