From f03b527177847ef66fd48b87e463ca8b511972d3 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: jongoins955217 Date: Tue, 25 Aug 2026 17:01:40 +0000 Subject: [PATCH] Add Unheeded Warnings, Failure to Check Blood Sugar Led to 25-year-old P.E.I. Diabetic's Death, Mother Says --- ...ear-old P.E.I. Diabetic%27s Death%2C Mother Says.-.md | 9 +++++++++ 1 file changed, 9 insertions(+) create mode 100644 Unheeded Warnings%2C Failure to Check Blood Sugar Led to 25-year-old P.E.I. Diabetic%27s Death%2C Mother Says.-.md diff --git a/Unheeded Warnings%2C Failure to Check Blood Sugar Led to 25-year-old P.E.I. Diabetic%27s Death%2C Mother Says.-.md b/Unheeded Warnings%2C Failure to Check Blood Sugar Led to 25-year-old P.E.I. Diabetic%27s Death%2C Mother Says.-.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..dd6be4f --- /dev/null +++ b/Unheeded Warnings%2C Failure to Check Blood Sugar Led to 25-year-old P.E.I. Diabetic%27s Death%2C Mother Says.-.md @@ -0,0 +1,9 @@ +
That is, in essence, a death caused by a lack of insulin. As the body of someone who doesn't have enough insulin burns off fat to create energy, because it can't convert glucose, a chemical called ketone can build up in the blood and reach a toxic level. It's a hazard for anyone with Type 1 diabetes, but regular blood sugar monitoring and insulin injections can prevent it. Brandi Clarke needed extra help to manage her condition, though. As well as being diabetic, she had been diagnosed with psychosis and was unable to look after herself, which is why she was living at a government-funded transitional housing facility in Charlottetown operated by the Canadian Mental Health Association. Clarke said the staff there were supposed to make sure Brandi's diabetes was being treated. She said that didn't happen. Clarke told CBC News. Since Brandi's death, her mother has been [searching](https://www.answers.com/search?q=searching) for the answer to that question. Brandi had been living with her mother until she moved into a Summerside transitional housing complex run by CMHA in May of 2021. Clarke said her daughter was 23 at the time, and needed more supervision than a single working parent could provide.
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The letter, which Clarke said is on file with CMHA, also said Brandi required reminders about daily hygiene tasks and supervision for things like meal preparation. Clarke said Brandi was moved to another CMHA transitional housing facility on St. Peter's Road in Charlottetown in September 2022 because that unit had supervision around the clock, whereas the Summerside home had no one on duty on evenings and weekends. Clarke said the first question she asked when attending her daughter's intake session in Charlottetown was whether staff there were trained to support a person with diabetes. She wanted to make sure they had received training similar to what Clarke herself had received from Diabetes Canada. CMHA declined CBC's request for an interview. The death of Brandi Clarke has been very difficult for her family and for our organization and its staff. CMHA P.E.I. takes this matter very seriously, and we have been in communication with Heidi Clarke and have met with her personally.
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We remain committed to maintaining the highest standards of [Glyco Care supplement](https://worldaid.eu.org/discussion/profile.php?id=2146746), safety and support for all community members that connect with our organization. Once again, we express our sincerest condolences to all of Brandi's family. Clarke still has Brandi's glucose monitor, which records how often her blood sugar was tested, along with the results showing whether it was high, low, or under control. According to the monitor, Brandi's blood was tested once on Dec. 1, 2022; the next test was almost two months later, on Jan. 29, 2023. That was the last test recorded on the monitor before Brandi died in March. Guidelines from Diabetes Canada recommend that Type 1 diabetics check their blood sugar at least three times daily so that any changes can be addressed by injecting enough insulin to stave off diabetic ketoacidosis. Dr. David Campbell, an endocrinologist who teaches in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Calgary.
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Campbell has conducted extensive research on how diabetes affects people who are socially disadvantaged, particularly those experiencing homelessness. He said managing diabetes is "an incredibly cognitively complex task" that requires a patient match insulin doses with their carbohydrate intake. He said Brandi's case provides a clear example of why there should be better supports in place for those who need them. Clarke describes Brandi as kind and funny. Clarke said it was always Brandi's goal to help people. At one time she worked as a resident [Glyco Care Wellness Guideglucose metabolism](https://logixy.net/user/Abel76W4947539/) worker. She was hoping to regain her independence, go back to school and study for a career in health care. But Type 1 diabetes compounded her mental health issues. She had multiple hospitalizations for ketoacidosis, which has been linked to cognitive impairment. Their last contact was less than a week before Brandi died. In the weeks leading up to Brandi's death, [Glyco Care Wellness Guideglucose metabolism](http://www.alpshome.info/bbs/board.php?bo_table=free&wr_id=59573) Clarke said she could tell something was wrong because Brandi was avoiding her.
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She said she called staff at the facility and was assured Brandi was OK. But in their notes on Brandi, which Clarke provided to CBC News, staff at the facility said they thought she was hallucinating and needed to see a doctor. That, along with test results from the blood glucose monitor if it had been used, should have been more than enough to indicate Brandi was at risk from her diabetes, Campbell said. A simple visit to the emergency department "would have been life-saving in this case," he said. Campbell said that too often, chronic issues like diabetes are considered secondary to mental health problems, or staff working with vulnerable clients lack the training to be able to recognize medical problems. Clarke said she reached out to staff with CMHA for 11 months after Brandi's death before she finally was granted a meeting this past February with the organization's executive director in P.E.I., Shelley Muzika. But neither that nor a more recent meeting with P.E.I.
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