Boca Raton Teen Dies During Surgery, Family Considering Lawsuit

Boca Raton, FLA teenager who was to have routine corrective breast surgery never woke up after an adverse reaction to the anesthesia. Now the family is very angry, heartbroken, and are considering filing a lawsuit against the doctor who says he did all he could to save her.

Stephanie Kuleba had an embarrassing birth defect that she always said she wanted corrected and she got her wish. The morning of the surgery, Joanne Kuleba, Stephanie's mother, asked her if she was sure she wanted to go through with the surgery and Stephanie said that she did. In fact, Stephanie was very excited to have this procedure done so that she would no longer have to deal with the humiliation that her birth defect brought on.

Joanne Kuleba remembers her last moments with her daughter very well because she had no idea that this would be the last moment with her. She kissed Stephanie, told her that she loved her and Stephanie replied with, "I love you, mom."

It turns out that Stephanie had a rare condition called malignant hyperthermia, which is genetic. The condition caused a reaction to the anesthesia used on the varsity cheerleading captain who was only 18-years-old. However, Stephanie's parents, Joanne and Tom, are very angry because they feel that Stephanie's doctor, Steven Schuster, is at fault despite his claims that he did all he could to save her. The Kulebas feel that the facts will reveal his faults, but have not elaborated on what those faults or what the facts are.

If medical professionals find that medical malpractice was involved, then the Kulebas will consider filing a lawsuit although they say that doing so is not their priority. At this time, they are bringing about awareness of the condition, malignant hyperthermia, and its devastating effects. They have made this their mission in an effort to save even more lives. They have started a website that contains information about the condition and they are fighting for changes to be made in both the laws and the medical procedures used on those with the condition.

It was Stephanie's dream to become a doctor and the family feels that she is looking down on their efforts to bring about awareness to save lives. To go to their website and learn more about malignant hyperthermia, visit www.stephaniejudekuleba.org.

By Ginger Gillenwter