Justice for Jaszmine Philips



A West Michigan family is faced with an unthinkable tragedy as the family of Jaszmine Philips mourns her passing. Jasmine, a dedicated Black mother who sought medical attention at Trinity Health in the early hours of February 14th, 2024 due to a severe headache she had been dealing with. The situation had been especially concerning as she bravely battled Type 1 diabetes. Expressing her fears of possible diabetic ketoacidosis, Jasmine communicated her condition to the medical staff during her check in. However, her feelings of anxiety increased when she reluctantly handed her ID over, that revealed her status as an organ donor. Her anxiety was caused by unsettling rumors she previously heard of organ harvesting within the Emergency Room. (incert image of Jaszmine)


For the next 16 hours, Jasmine endured excruciating pain in the Emergency Room, receiving only minimal relief with a small dose of Tylenol. Tragically, she suffered a traumatic brain injury caused by fluid buildup, leading to a devastating diagnosis of severe cerebral edema, with the damage extending into her neck. As the hours passed, representatives from the Gift of Life organization arrived at the hospital on February 16th, a little over 48 hours since Jasmine's admission. Despite her not being declared deceased at that point in time. Later that afternoon, at 3:37PM Jasmine was tragically pronounced dead, leaving her family consumed with grief and facing the harrowing possibility of organ donation.


According to a statement released by the family, In the aftermath of Jasmine's passing, they engaged in heartfelt discussions with Carrie Navarre, a staff member at Trinity Health. The family strongly opposed organ donation, echoing Jasmine's wishes, and were assured by the hospital's legal counsel that their wishes would be respected during probate court proceedings.

Shockingly, at 7:30 PM, Navarre and a colleague by the name Linda Dunmore allegedly issued an ultimatum, threatening to release Jasmine's body to the Gift of Life organization for organ harvesting unless the family obtained an injunction by noon the next day, Saturday, February 17th. The family, distressed by this turn of events, had a meeting with both Navarre and Dunmore, as well as a registered nurse Tyler Garrett, eventually filling out the form to release Jasmine's body to Fountain Funeral Home.


However, the family's relief was unfortunately short lived, as Gift of Life representatives returned to the hospital, causing further distress by allegedly wandering around Jasmine's hospital room with zero explanation. While the family made plans to gather at the hospital an hour before Jasmine's release to Fountain Funeral Home, they were confronted by at least 30 security guards and police officers, threatening charges of murder if they touched Jasmine's body, catching them by complete surprise and pure disgust for the situation. In the midst of their grief, the family secured legal representation from Michael Oakes, Esq, who was able to obtain an injunction signed by a judge on the same day, protecting Jasmine from Trinity Health and the Gift of Life organization. While the family won the court hearing two days later, the battle is far from over, as Trinity Health ICU is reportedly pushing to remove Jasmine from life support against the family's wishes and the court ruling. The family is now calling on the community for prayers and support, urging concerned community members to call trinity health at 231-672-2000 to demand adherence to the family's wishes during this difficult time.


My personal opinion: This entire situation is extremely heartbreaking and disgusting. Unfortunately it is widely known within the Black community that a lot of times the health care system will intentionally neglect us and even go as far as letting us die in order to harvest our organs for someone else. From the very beginning Trinity Health not only neglected Jasmine but also disregarded the severity of her pain. While she was suffering and in excruciating pain for 16 hours they did nothing but give her Tylenol. There is no reason why she shouldn't had been receiving the care she needed in order to recover and go home to her children. They failed

Jasmine and her biggest fears became a reality.

I understand the benefits of organ donation and fully acknowledge the ways it can be life saving. But when you're essentially praying on Black bodies the entire thought of organ donation becomes very reminiscent of slavery when Black people would have their organs harvested. What the Gift of Life and the Trinity Health Muskegon hospital put Jasmine and her family through is nothing short of predatory and truly sickening. My heart is with the loved ones of Jasmine who are grieving the loss of her and faced with battles they should not have to fight during this time. Jasmine should still be here today.


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