Ellis Injury Law Accepting Lost Stem Cell Cases from CHLA Freezer Malfunction
Last September, the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) sent letters to 56 oncology patients and their families to alert them of a freezer failure which resulted in the destruction of their child’s stem cells. The blood stem cells were harvested early in the young patients’ oncology treatment for possible future use.
According to a CHLA press release, the freezer malfunction was traced back to faulty temperature sensors, and though safeguards were in place to keep tissue samples viable, they proved wholly inadequate.
Freezer malfunction destroys children’s stem cells forever
Blood stem cells primarily live in bone marrow and are important because they produce the different kinds of specialized cells found in the blood. For this reason, they are particularly useful in treating diseases like leukemia, other kinds of blood cancers, and immune diseases.
The problem for these young cancer patients is that many have since undergone radiation or chemotherapy – aggressive treatments that may make harvesting healthy stem cells challenging in the future. Moreover, harvesting blood stem cells (from the bone marrow or blood) is a notoriously painful and lengthy procedure, especially for immune-compromised patients who are already struggling for their lives.
Families who have been impacted by this freezer failure at CHLA can only hope that their child’s disease does not relapse. It is cruel injustices like these that require legal representation of the highest caliber.
Free legal consultation with Ellis Injury Law
If your family was affected by the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles freezer malfunction and stem cell loss, there are legal remedies available. Contact Ellis Injury Law for a free consultation with an award-winning personal injury attorney.
Our legal team provides client-focused advocacy throughout Southern California, and has the resources to hold negligent parties accountable for their wrongdoing.
Our recent verdicts and settlements prove how a qualified attorney can help you get the compensation your family needs and deserves. Ellis Injury Law has obtained more than $350 million in damages for clients over the years, and we are ready to go to bat for you.
There are no fees unless we win compensation on your behalf. Call (310) 641-3335 to request a free case review.
Additional Resources:
- BIO News, Child cancer patients’ stem cells lost in freezer failure https://www.bionews.org.uk/page_145230
- CBS News, Freezer fails at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, destroying stem cells from 56 cancer patients https://www.cbsnews.com/news/childrens-hospital-los-angeles-freezer-failure-stem-cells-destroyed-2019-09-26/