Parents of stillborn baby channel grief into advocacy for health system improvements

A British Columbia couple who was mistakenly sent a bill for the autopsy of their stillborn baby is optimistic that health authorities are correcting the system flaws that led to the painful mistake.

Laura and Nick Bordignon were still grieving the death of their baby daughter last October when they got the bill from the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) containing a list of tests performed by the coroner.

The envelope was addressed to Makayla Poppy, the name they had chosen for their child.

Further damaging their emotions, the letter indicated that Makayla's body was not promptly transported to the funeral home of their choice. Instead, it was still in the morgue, about two weeks after the autopsy and almost a month after she was delivered on September 25, 2024.

The health authority admitted mistakes and canceled the bill. But the Bordignons were not satisfied, so they insisted on a personal meeting with the hospital management to ensure that their grief was not in vain.

“It was a really positive experience,” Laura said. “They explained very well exactly how they looked at the process. [and] to everyone who was involved in similar situations… to find traces of how this happened.”

“We heard that it's not just that one person failed or that the team failed,” Nick said. “The fact is that there are significant and significant gaps and lack of communication when you have overlapping responsibilities.”

No one from PHSA or BC Women's Hospital was available for an interview.

In an emailed statement, Anne Margaret Lee, executive director of the New Mothers' Assistance Program, said that in light of the bill, PHSA's tax processes have been “adjusted…to ensure that such errors do not occur again.”

At the meeting, officials explained that the autopsy bill addressed to Makali Poppy was the result of someone not writing the letters “SB” for stillbirth in their file, Laura said.

“A system they have since automated,” she added.

“They have eliminated the need to manually enter data to eliminate the possibility of human error.”

The couple say they were assured that gaps in communication between hospitals (Makalya was taken to Ridge Meadows Hospital but transferred to the BC Children's Hospital morgue for an autopsy) were being looked at for improvement, particularly in cases of stillbirth, miscarriage and infant deaths.

“They are also taking steps to improve communication and the process from birth to interacting with funeral homes and trying to return remains to families like us,” Laura said.

Lee's statement seems to confirm this.

“Leadership continues to work with external partners, such as funeral service providers, on best practices regarding post-mortem communications and processes. This includes strengthening escalation routes, clarifying roles and responsibilities across teams, and reviewing related policies,” she said.

Lee said the BC Patient Care Quality Authority's investigation into Bordignon has been completed and its findings have been shared with stakeholders, but the results are not available to the public.

Statement from the Bordignons after CBC News published their story in Maythey received letters from all over Canada and met many people who had suffered similar losses.

If anything, they hope the publicity will help reduce the stigma around talking about stillbirth, miscarriage and infant mortality.

“It’s really nice to start changing the narrative from ‘Hush, hush’ to ‘No, we really need to talk about this’ so we can help more people,” Laura said.

Earlier this year, the Bordignons paused their propaganda work to welcome their newborn son.

And in October, 35 family members and friends formed Team Makayla Poppy, raising more than $11,000 at the Butterfly Run in Vancouver's False Creek area.

The race is carried out Butterfly Support Networka registered non-profit group helping families who have experienced loss on their journey to parenthood.

The couple say it was a fitting tribute to their daughter's memory.

“Laura painted a bunch of shirts so we could all stand out in the crowd. Her cousins ​​and kids were there and they all had butterfly wings,” Nick said. “It was a really nice feeling of community, being able to talk to other families who have been through this.”