Meet Kristy Anderson, a caring mother of three beautiful children and a victim of government overreach by the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF).

Last January, she took Oliver, her youngest son, to Boston Children’s Hospital for treatment. He had been dealing with consecutive respiratory illnesses, ear infections, possible blood in his stool, and was losing weight.

Oliver was admitted, underwent a series of tests, and it was determined that they were normal.

The following month, Kristy’s nightmare began. Oliver underwent the following procedures: a “triple scope” colonoscopy, PICC line placement, and eustachian tube dilation. Doctors told Kristy that these “routine” procedures would take about 2 hours to complete. The procedures lasted over four.

When Kristy finally visited her son in the PACU, his face was extremely swollen, and his eyes couldn’t stay open. She was told this was normal. Kristy noticed that Oliver, sometime later, was still disoriented and his gaze was fixed to one side. Kristy requested a nurse. Again, she was told that her son was doing well.

Eighteen hours later, Oliver’s symptoms persisted, and he underwent an MRI/MRA, during which he was sedated.

It was determined that Oliver, during the initial procedures, had experienced a series of strokes. He was moved to the ICU because of concerns about a “high probability of imminent or life-threatening deterioration in the patient’s neurologic condition, which would require immediate intervention to prevent further decline.”

The neurology reports stated that the “primary concern for etiology was in some way related to his recent procedures.” Kristy was also notified that her son’s IV was arterial and not venous. Moreover, doctors did not collect enough tissue samples, but would address this “oversight.”

Forty-eight hours after the MRI/MRA, Oliver was transferred out of the ICU. He was still not gaining weight and had blood in his stool. Oliver’s hemoglobin and hematocrit levels tanked. Even more frightening, Oliver developed a bloodstream infection; he was now septic.

In March, Oliver was discharged from the hospital, despite the health concerns that had initially brought him there persisting.

Less than two weeks later, Oliver was readmitted to the hospital, where a treatment plan was discussed. Oliver was again discharged. Kristy was asked to bring him back after the Easter holiday for admission.

Kristy complied, and Oliver was readmitted for the same health concerns. He began Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN), during which all necessary nutrients are delivered directly into the bloodstream via a catheter, bypassing the digestive system. Oliver also had another PICC line placed and a repeat colonoscopy.

Oliver began to gain weight, but the blood in his stool persisted. During his hospital stay, he contracted COVID-19 and developed another bloodstream infection, along with blood clots. He needed a six-week course of antibiotics administered through his PICC line. His hemoglobin levels dropped again, requiring a blood transfusion.

By June, Oliver’s health was improving marginally, but doctors were unable to provide Kristy with answers concerning his health. As a result, Kristy asked that her son be transferred to another hospital for treatment. Rather than doing so, Kristy was called into a conference room to meet with Oliver’s care team, who decided they wanted to put a “sitter” in the room with her son. At that meeting was Oliver’s grandfather.

The hospital ultimately filed a 51A complaint against Kristy, asserting she was medically abusing her son and causing his health issues, noting that Oliver’s weight-related symptoms improved after a sitter became involved in his care. However, the hospital failed to recognize that by that time, Oliver had been gaining weight while on a combination of TPN and formula. They also ignored the fact that Oliver still had blood in his stool and that his HGB levels continued to fluctuate. The hospital dismissed Oliver’s extensive medical history, including the series of strokes he suffered while under their care, and how he had been struggling with feeding and weight gain issues since birth.

As a result of the complaint, Kristy was removed from the hospital, and DCF took her two other children and placed them with extended family. Oliver stayed in the hospital for an additional two weeks without his mother. Following the hospital’s recommendation, after discharge, Oliver was separated from his siblings and placed in a foster home with strangers.

Ultimately, Oliver’s siblings were returned to Kristy’s care. However, Oliver was not. He remains in state custody, residing with extended family. Kristy can only visit Oliver for two hours a week. DCF supervises these visits.

And Oliver’s health concerns continue, outside of Kristy’s care, contradicting the hospital’s assertion that she was medically abusing her son.  

Kristy and Oliver need your help.

Email those involved

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Staverne Miller – Commissioner, Department of Children and Families: DCFCommissioner@state.ma.us

Melissa Thibodeau – Area Clinical Manager, Harbor Area DCF: melissa.thibodeau@mass.gov

Senator Lydia Edwards – Massachusetts State Senate, Third Suffolk District: Lydia.Edwards@masenate.gov

Eric Reidister – Aide to Senator Edwards: Eric.Reidister@masenate.gov

Email Template

Dear [Name],

I am writing to express my concern about the case involving Kristy Anderson. She is a loving mother to three wonderful children and has been falsely accused of medical abuse against Oliver, her youngest son, by Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH).

Kristy and Oliver have been separated for a year. She is only permitted to visit with her son for two hours weekly, and those visits are supervised by the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF).

Oliver has serious underlying health issues dating back to birth, which worsened after he had a series of strokes while under care at BCH. These concerns persist today.

I request that your office review the Anderson case, consider all facts and circumstances, and examine all medical evidence, including Oliver’s entire medical history. Oliver needs his mother, and his mother needs her son.

Thank you for doing the right thing in this matter.

Respectfully submitted,

YOUR NAME