Sunday, May 1, 2016

Death Toll From Outbreak Still Climbing


By Walter F. Roche Jr.

It was more than three years after he first became sickened when 48-year-old Daniel Lindenberg passed away in Evansville, Ind. on March 7.
Lindenberg, according to his wife Carolyn, never fully recovered from the fungal meningitis that struck him in 2012 along with the after effects of the powerful antifungal medicines taken to combat it.
Lindenberg already had been counted as one of the 778 victims of the outbreak, but now his widow says she has been in touch with health officials to have his death added to the 76 known fatalities.
Although the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists 753 victims and 64 deaths from the outbreak, federal investigators later boosted that total as a result of a lengthy criminal probe.
Indiana, according to the CDC, had 93 victims, 11 of them died.
Attorneys familiar with the outbreak have long felt that there are still other victims, both dead and alive, that would boost the totals even higher.
Some of the now known cases only were identified after victims bodies were exhumed and autopsied.
One such case was that of a Kentucky judge, Eddie C. Lovelace, whose death was at first attributed to a stroke. An autopsy performed after exhumation however, showed it was fungus tainted steroids from a Massachusetts firm that caused his death.
In another case, Gokulbhai Patel's name was added to the victim's list only after his family filed suit in late 2013. The Nashville resident had died of fungal meningitis on Jan. 13, 2013.
Lindenberg said she is "trying to get my Danny's death included in the official death toll number."
She said in an email response to questions that fungal meningitis was listed on her husband's death certificate as the official cause of death.
Daniel Lindenberg was also one of a growing group of victims who made contact with other victims through social media outlets including blogs, sharing pains and even occasional laughs.
One of those other victims recently paid tribute to Lindenberg on his memorial page.
"You were a bright star in the outbreak and made me laugh so many times when I thought I couldn't go on. You are already missed," the victim wrote.
"It helps to know you are no longer in pain."
Before his death Lindenberg, who reported suffering severe pain, multiple seizures and hallucinations from antifungal drugs,  told a reporter in 2013 about his concern for fellow victims.
"There are people out there suffering. They're losing their jobs, their houses and their lives," Lindenberg said.
Besides his wife Lindenberg left a son, a daughter and three grandchildren
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com

















6 comments:

  1. My heart goes out to the family

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  2. Beautiful Wally. This gentleman had a heart of gold - his family will miss him deeply. We do.

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  3. Great job Mr. Roche. Danny was a sweet man and made me laugh on so many occasions. He is missed greatly.

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  4. My deepest condolences to his wife and family. It's scary to think this could still be an issue for us even after all this time has passed.

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  5. And it's all over greed and no one is fighting for victims.and it's still going on they haven't learned from the past at all.there putting money over people's life.

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  6. My heart and sympathy goes out to the family. I too am one of the victims sickened from the steroids I actually received three injections two were tainted. I was on a vacation that I planed for a year to visit Europe .when I started to see halos accompanied with profuse sweating and headaches that were unbelievable. I wasnt even told for nearly three weeks I didnt even know what was wrong with me, until it appeared on a world news channel.the first death then I knew I was in real trouble.because my travel I could not get a return flight for 5 days , when I finally made back to the states I didn't think I would live I was so ill I heard voices that weren't even there. The hospital was probably the last thing I remember clearly with two heart attacks and 37 days of none stop vomiting. Three weeks in renal failure abscesses so thick that in the injection site i couldnt hardly take all the meds.all the after effects .and still suffering from blurred vision twitches in my facial muscles ,headaces memory problems stuttering all time not being able to concentrate and a slew of other elements and problems I didn't have before. And I see others suffering the same effects . All this time and still no justice.

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