The parents of an Arizona toddler declared dead, but found alive in a morgue five hours later blame his “negligent” doctor for leaving him with lifelong, severe brain damage.
asserted
parents → declare → damage
Vincent Lorenzo Fiordilino was discovered floating face down in a backyard swimming pool during a Super Bowl party in Gilbert on February 8 and rushed to Mercy Gilbert Medical Center.
The two-year-old was mistakenly pronounced dead by DrAryan Toosi just 18 minutes after arriving, police body cam footage recorded.
asserted
footage → discover → Toosi
He was the sent to a morgue where a medical transport worker discovered he was alive and moving under a thick white sheet.
asserted
he → send → sheet
Now Alexus and Angelo Fiordilino have hit out at Mercy Gilbert Medical Center staff for convincing them their son was dead and dismissing multiple concerns that he was still breathing.
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he → hit → concerns
“I can’t believe Vincent was all alone in there,” the distraught mother told The Post.
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mother → believe → Post
“It haunts me still to this day when I think about it.
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I → haunt → it
I hate that he went through five hours in a morgue by himself, struggling to breathe.
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he → hate → himself
“If there was a competent doctor in the room that day, it would have gone very differently.
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it → be → room
Our boy was neglected medical treatment that would have significantly changed the outlook of his life.
asserted
that → neglect → life
Panic ensued at the Fiordilino’s party when Vincent was found drowning and foaming at the mouth.
Alexus and her husband took turns to perform lifesaving measures after calling emergency services and the toddler was rushed to hospital within minutes.
“It was a lot of panic, my heart dropped into my stomach,” she told The Post.
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she → ensue → Post
“Angelo rushed over and jumped in the pool to get him out and we did CPR.
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we → rush → CPR
We were desperate to save him.”
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We → save → him
Emergency services quickly arrived and took over resuscitation efforts.
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services → arrive → efforts
“I begged anyone who would listen to save Vincent and once he got in the ambulance I felt a little relief because they would be able to do more there.
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they → beg → more
“I had full belief that they would save him and had hope to hold him again.
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they → have → him
I thought they would do everything they could do and he was in safe hands.
uncertain
he → think → hands
But just minutes after arriving, Dr Toosi allegedly informed Alexus and Angelo that it would be best for him to call a time of death to stop Vincent suffering, according to the heartbroken mother.
uncertain
Vincent → arrive → mother
“I remember the way he sat down because it felt very nonchalant and blasé,” Alexus claimed to The Post.
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Alexus → remember → Post
“He was almost laying back in his chair.
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He → lay → chair
Dr Toosi told us that the pH levels in Vincent’s blood was too high and too acidic for functioning life.
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levels → tell → life
“He said ‘he would be suffering so I think it’s best if I call it [his death].’
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I → say → it
That broke my heart to hear, so we decided to stop.
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we → break → heart
“I didn’t want him to suffer, so I looked at my husband and we made the decision that if he was in pain, it was probably best to let him go.”
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him → want → pain
While saying their goodbyes, three different family members heard Vincent breathing as they hugged him tight.
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they → say → him
But the medical staff allegedly told them “it’s normal that it’s going to sound like that”.
uncertain
it → tell → that
“I went to hug Vincent and I was talking in his ear begging him to come back, and when I did a lot of air came out,” Alexus added.
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Alexus → go → air
“My husband did the same thing and said this isn’t normal but they told us it was.
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it → do → us
“At this point we were grieving and I trusted the doctors to know what they were talking about.”
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they → grieve → what
While Dr. Toosi was comforting the parents in another room, a nurse told a police officer “I have a pulse” as emergency workers rushed to help her revive the child,” a police report notes.
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report → comfort → child
But when a cop went to tell the doctor, he was allegedly dismissive.
uncertain
he → go → doctor
“Toosi arrogantly told [Officer Martin] he was the doctor, he has the medical degree, he went to medical school for a reason, and to let him do his thing,” according to the police report, obtained by The Post.
uncertain
him → tell → Post
Dr Toosi then walked back into the emergency room and told staff to stop CPR on the child, calling Vincent’s time of death at 6.20 p.m.
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Toosi → walk → p.m.
Audio of that was recorded on police bodycam and authorities later said the doctor who was speaking was Toosi.
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who → record → bodycam
Alexus and Angelo were given time to say goodbye to their baby boy.
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Alexus → give → boy
“I felt I was being robbed of Vincent too soon and he deserved more than what was happening to him.
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what → feel → him
I wasn’t ready for him to be gone,” she told The Post.
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she → go → Post
The grieving parents went home feeling heartbroken and numb before they were asked to go to the local police station to answer questions.
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they → grieve → questions
Nearly six hours after their son was declared dead, a “detective suddenly came in and stated he had ‘good news.’”
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he → declare → news
Vincent was found alive in the morgue.
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Vincent → find → morgue
We had some hope and something to cling on to,” she said.
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she → have → hope
…and 24 more, not listed.
The Aporia
