Lifestyle

11-Year-Old in Leukemia Remission Dies After Hospital Prescribes Morphine for Pain

Published on June 18, 2025

The family of an 11-year-old girl who tragically died after surviving cancer has been awarded $20.5 million after a jury determined that prescribed morphine ultimately led to her death. Ava Wilson’s family filed a lawsuit against Advocate Health and Hospitals Corporation following her passing in 2020.

Ava died on October 31, 2020, in her sleep from what the family’s attorneys described as “acute combined drug toxicity of morphine, hydroxyzine and gabapentin.” According to the lawsuit, Ava had dangerously high levels of morphine in her system at the time of her death, reported the Independent.

Just 36 hours before she passed away, Ava had been discharged from a clinic in Illinois. During her time at the clinic, Ava was reportedly “crying in pain” and struggling to walk, with what attorneys described as “foot drop.” Medical tests revealed troubling signs: low platelet counts, low blood cell counts, elevated liver enzymes, and low blood pressure. However, the lawsuit claims her blood pressure was never rechecked before her discharge.

Matthew L. Williams, the lead trial attorney, said: “Instead of admitting Ava to the hospital to get her blood pressure, heart rate, and pain levels within acceptable and normal limits, Advocate employees sent Ava home with excessive pain medications.” He went on to explain, “Ava’s body was yelling out to these clinicians, ‘help me!’ and they just ignored it.”

The nurse practitioner at the clinic prescribed Ava 100 mg of gabapentin to be taken three times a day and 15 mg of morphine every four hours, according to the civil complaint obtained by The News & Observer.. Ava’s oncologist, who did not examine her, approved the prescription. Prior to this, Ava had only been prescribed 5 mg of morphine, and the increase, combined with the higher dose of gabapentin, created a dangerous interaction between the drugs.

The law firm representing Ava’s family pointed out that the combination of medications could make each other more potent, and they argued that the medical team should have recognized the potential risk.

Advocate Health and Hospitals Corporation expressed condolences, with a spokesperson saying, “Our hearts go out to this family. We are committed to providing appropriate care to every patient. Due to patient privacy, we are unable to comment further.”

Before her death, Ava had been in remission from B-lymphoblastic leukemia, with her family believing her outlook was positive as there was no detectable leukemia in her blood.

The jury’s decision and the resulting financial settlement have brought attention to concerns about the prescribing practices in healthcare settings, especially for vulnerable patients like Ava.

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