HELP US GET JUSTICE FOR SKYLER SAPPIER

Skyler was a son, father, brother, uncle, cousin, and friend. He was known for his huge heart and outgoing personality. Skyler had the most infectious smile, laugh, and energy that lit up the room. From a young age he had an avid sense of adventure, He enjoyed fishing, swimming, biking, anything outdoorsy, and spending time with his family.

Skyler held great honor and respect for his traditions, culture and spirituality. He was very creative and loved making traditional arts and crafts. In our culture, these things bring us healing. He was always proud of who he was and never let anything diminish his spirit and connection.

Skyler was one of a kind, with a gentle soul and a huge soft spot for animals. He cared deeply and loved with all his heart. His family was everything to him. He always made time to check in on them and always asked for pictures of everyone back home.

He loved being a daddy to his children Zaylen and Alaunna. When he was having his first born Zaylen he couldn’t wait to tell us all. At his baby shower he was the happiest he had ever been, so proud to be his dad.

Skyler always stood up for what he believed in, had the most resilient spirit, very dedicated and had a great love for his family.

His dedication, love, compassion and empathy is something we could all learn from.

Skyler passed away on January 31, 2022 just two days after being transferred from the St. John Regional Correctional Centre.

He complained to Correctional officers of chest pain and that he didn't feel good on January 27th. On the 28th he told a Nurse in the facility that he felt his lungs were at 70% capacity. She said he had no visible signs of distress. She took his oxygen levels and heart rate. Oxygen levels were normal, but his heart rate was elevated. She noted that he had a slightly coarse, louder breath, and gave him Tylenol/Advil.

On the morning of January 29th at around 8 am other inmates called to a correctional officer on Skylers behalf, she went over and asked if he was ok and he replied with "do I look ok?" she noted that he looked pale and called the nurse.

At 8:20 a nurse examined Skyler. She stated that he had shortness of breath, chest pain, and his oxygen level was 89-93%. She gave him a puffer and his oxygen went up to 96%. It was also noted that he didn't seem to be in distress with all other vitals being normal. She checked on him again by 10 am and he had shortness of breath and oxygen in 96-98% range. By 12:28pm he was placed into their "medical" cell which was just another cell closer to the nurse's desk. While in the medical cell he was not checked for over 3 hours despite his low oxygen levels.

At 2 pm she checked on him again and his oxygen was back down to 89-93% range. She called the doctor on call and they decided to transfer him to the hospital, not by ambulance because his vitals were ok. Oxygen was available but she did not think it was necessary. She did not chart how many times she checked on him only out-of-range vitals.

At 4:15 it was decided that they would transfer him to the hospital. There was a snowstorm so there were delays. At 4:30 they found out he was covid positive.

When he got to the hospital he was triaged and within just a 5 min assessment she said he had signs of sepsis and triaged him at a level 2 (which meant he needed quick intervention) with an Oxygen level of 91% he had to be seen by a doctor within 15 mins.

By 5:37 Skyler was taken to the acute care room. Hooked up to monitors. Looked visibly unwell, with shortness of breath. Went into the room at 5:50. Heartrate was elevated (144 bpm—under 100 is normal), high respiratory rate (24-30 breaths per minute. He was working harder to breathe. Below 20 breaths per minute is normal). An x-ray was ordered and it was confirmed that he had severe Penemonia.

Dr said it was unusual for Skyler to deteriorate that quickly. Skyler told the doctor he was scared and to do everything he can for him. They told him he was critically ill but they were very optimistic.

His vitals kept changing, oxygen flow was adjusted but not working, and they couldn't get an iv in because he was very sick. His blood pressure was so low his veins would collapse.

At 8 pm they put an IV into his upper arm to monitor blood pressure and spoke to him about intubation. He was intubated by 8:53 pm.

We got the news about how sick he was around 10:35 pm on January 30th. As soon as we got the news about Skyler we tried to get to him as fast as we could. He passed away shortly after 3 am on January 31st.

As soon as word got out that he had passed we started receiving messages from people about how Skyler was treated in the Correctional facility. We were told that he had been banging on his cell door all night stating that he couldn't breathe!

The coroner's inquest revealed that Skyler's vitals had been consistent with someone who would receive oxygen therapy at the hospital. He reported chest pains days before he was transported. Even on the day of transport, it was revealed that in the morning someone said he would be going to the hospital and he was not transported for at least 8 hrs.

Based on these testimonies, the discrepancies between video footage and their statements, we strongly believe there was negligence, and medical neglect on behalf of Saint John regional correction center

We will be using these funds to secure a lawyer to file a Civil Suit! Thanks for taking the time to read Skyler's story!

Thank you!

Woliwon!