Support The Shields Family

Dear Mercy Hospital: No one should have to battle cancer while battling the legal system.

We are standing with the Shields Family as they ask Mercy Hospital Oklahoma City to take accountability for patient and employee harm.

To know the Shields family is to know a family who is a force for good. They’ve kept their struggles very private over the past year hoping for a quiet resolution and avoidance of scandal to the Church, but with the recent severe turn in Marcus's health, they know it's time to share more publicly to receive support.

You can read more about their story below.

In brief, Marcus, a previously totally healthy 30-year-old, never smoker, was recently diagnosed with a very rare form of Stage IV Neuroendocrine Lung Cancer. This diagnosis comes at an incredibly difficult time, following Jenny’s recent job loss from Mercy Hospital OKC, stemming from retaliation for refusing to participate in Mercy’s attempts to conceal patient harm.

Their story demonstrates the harsh realities of speaking up against powerful systems, the personal costs of doing what's right, and an ongoing battle, not just against cancer, but against a system seemingly indifferent to its own flaws.

We thank you for reading their story, sharing it with others who may be able to help, and for helping to bridge the massive financial gap left behind.

A Year of Unprecedented Challenges

In May 2023, while serving as the Director of Ethics for the Western Region of Mercy Health System, Dr. Jenny Shields, a Clinical Psychologist and Healthcare Bioethicist was drawn into the case of a woman named Ms Tracy Chatmon, who underwent a diagnostic biopsy at Mercy Hospital Oklahoma City and revealed lung cancer. Ms. Chatmon was not informed of her cancer diagnosis by Mercy for 532 days, during which time, her cancer tripled in size. Although Jenny wasn't employed by Mercy at the time of Ms. Chatmon’s treatment and had no direct involvement in her care, her role as the Hospital Ethicist required her to provide a deposition on the ethical implications of withholding such critical health information.

The core question was,

"Can a patient make informed decisions about their medical care without having their test results?”

The answer is unequivocally no. Jenny knew this, as would most individuals with at least a fourth grade education.

Required to testify about the hospital's failure during the upcoming deposition, Jenny chose to uphold her ethical duty against immense pressure from hospital representatives. Her commitment to transparency resulted in severe personal and professional retaliation. She suffered derogatory labels (i.e., branding her a "plaintiffs’ whore"), experienced threats from hospital leadership, and ultimately required a forced health-related leave of absence in August 2023.

The fallout was devastating - she lost her job, her professional standing, and suffered significant health declines. Moreover, she was ineligible for disability benefits and workers' compensation due to policy exclusions on employer harm and resulting emotional injury, leading to the depletion of the entirety of their emergency and retirement savings.

Hoping for a fresh start, their family made the difficult decision to move to Houston, Texas, after she was offered a faculty position at MD Anderson Cancer Center. However, once the center learned about her actions and the impact on her health, they began advertising to hire for a new position, and ultimately rescinded her employment offer, leading to a loss of $40,000 in promised reimbursement for moving expenses and sign on bonuses, leaving them entirely responsible for the debt they’d incurred to move.

As their family sought to determine a legal remedy, they discovered they had very little recourse, as Mercy Hospital was protected under something called the "ministerial exception," which exempts religious institutions from certain civil employment laws.

“MERCY HEALTH MINISTRY WAS FORMED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CANONICAL STATUTES AND IS AN ENTITY FOR CANON LAW PURPOSES ONLY, AS IT IS NOT INCORPORATED UNDER THE CIVIL LAWS OF ANY STATE.”

This barrier prevented any meaningful legal recourse, costing them more than $50,000 in legal fees without resolution.

Mercy appeared to acknowledge their misconduct in every way:

But despite this harm, Mercy continued to ignore the substantial financial and personal consequences to their family. This appears to be a result of the hospitals knowledge the limited avenues for being held accountable.

Amidst their legal battles and financial struggles, they also lost their anticipated insurance coverage through MD Anderson. Three days later, they came down with what they thought was a viral illness. All of them recovered from this illness, however, Marcus's symptoms persisted through late May. At the end of the month, his face began to swell and they noticed several other concerning symptoms.

On June 5, 2024, Marcus began to experience significant disorientation and malaise after running errands with their two young sons. They attempted to visit the emergency room that night but were told he should drive himself to a different facility due to a belief that his disorientation was the result of mental health concerns. Despite Jenny’s advocacy that he had never experienced paranoia or delusions, the provider declined to rule out physical health symptoms, noting that this work up should be conducted at hospital more equipped to manage mental illness.

They returned home for the night, however, his disorientation rapidly progressed and he was ultimately admitted to the hospital on June 6, 2024 with multifocal pneumonia, severe sepsis, and metabolic encephalopathy.

Marcus, a previously healthy 30-year-old, with no prior family history of cancer and no personal history of smoking, underwent multiple tests to identify how he had become so ill. The results were shocking: his imaging revealed "innumerable" nodules in his left lung. Tragically, he required a CT Guided, Percutaneous Biopsy to determine the cause.

In case the cruel irony is lost, this is the exact procedure that Ms. Chatmon had undergone at Mercy Hospital OKC.

On June 22, 2024, Marcus was diagnosed with a rare, rapidly progressing form of neuroendocrine lung cancer. Adding to their ordeal, the Houston hospital, much like Mercy years before, failed to promptly communicate these critical biopsy results to their family.

This exceptionally cruel twist of fate has not only intensified their call for accountability and change within healthcare but has also underscored their urgent need for community support as they navigate the difficult road ahead.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Financial Support.

The Shields family never thought they would turn to crowdfunding their expenses; they have always worked incredibly hard to prepare ourselves for financial emergencies (see this news story of their family from 2018), however, they could have never prepared themselves for a financial crisis of this magnitude.

After spending >$50,000 on legal fees for attempted resolution and losing an additional $40,000 from the rescinded job offer while facing daunting out of pocket medical expenses >$35,000, it has become clear that they cannot face this battle alone. They desperately need the help of their community.

SHARE THEIR STORY

If the chances of developing such a rare type of lung cancer are 0.23 to 1.36 cases per year, then the chance of such a diagnosis coming directly following a job loss for speaking up for another with lung cancer has got to be near to one in a billion.

The last few weeks, they have fumbled their way through the stages of grief.

They cannot make any sense of this.

Why this? Why them? Why now?

Jenny has shared repeatedly that this is a story they never would have written for themselves - but the steady cry of their hearts remains the same.

“God, would you make something good of this?”

The Shields family is committed to using their story to drive change and protect others from similar harm. This is where you come in. Every share extends their reach for support and brings awareness for change.

WHAT THEY BELIEVE

Absolute Accountability:

No one should have to battle cancer while battling the legal system. Healthcare systems must not be allowed to shield their misconduct. Acknowledging faults privately but contesting them in public courts undermines justice and prolongs the suffering of affected families. This dishonest practice must end. This can only happen through bringing these stories to the public light.

Patient Rights Upheld:

Timely and accurate communication of medical results is a fundamental patient right. Hospitals must ensure transparency and immediate rectification of any communication failures. The right to know is a right to life. When failures happen, they should be admitted, and timely steps should be taken to mitigate the harm.

Ending ‘At-Will’ Employment for Healthcare Workers:

Real protection for healthcare workers goes beyond policy documents. The prevalent ‘at-will’ employment model allows employers to disguise retaliation, threatening the safety and integrity of healthcare services. Your own safety in seeking medical care depends upon your willingness to advocate for the job protections of those who care for you.

Universal Protection:

All employees, regardless of their workplace or the religious affiliation of their employer, deserve robust protections against unfair treatment and discrimination. Catholic health systems, leveraging tax-exempt status through their religious affiliation, must genuinely embody their declared ethical standards, including social responsibility. This means that Catholic healthcare ministries must not yield religious freedom as a weapon against those they employ.

We thank you in advance for sharing their story, helping them bridge the gap financially, and for standing in their corner.

"The endurance of darkness is preparation for great light."

- St. John of the Cross

#ShieldsStrong