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· collected 2026-09-06 · by Anne-Marie Green, Paul LaRosa
This article presents a first-person account and analysis of a woman's near-death experience due to lead poisoning. Hannah Pettey, a young mother, was suffering from symptoms including unbearable pain, weakness, and difficulty caring for her children. At the hospital, doctors told Nicole Pettey that her daughter was starving to death and had only hours to live, prompting accusations that someone should have seen the severity of her condition earlier. The article suggests that Hannah's husband, Brian Mann, a chiropractor, may not have taken her symptoms seriously or known what to do.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-06,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
This story originally aired on Jan. 10, 2026.
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story → air → Jan.
In January 2022, the pain coursing through Hannah Pettey's body for six months was hitting her harder than ever.
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pain → course → her
Anne Marie Green: Were you even able to care for your kids?
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you → care → kids
I did as much as I could.
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I → do → much
Hannah's son Lincoln was 3, and her daughter Gracie had just turned 2.
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daughter → turn → 2
But Hannah was too sick to attend Gracie's birthday party.
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Hannah → attend → party
I was so weak that I couldn't hardly walk.
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I → walk → ?
I had a little office chair that I would roll around in our house because I really didn't get out of the house …
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I → have → house
Hannah says her husband Brian Mann was there when she needed him the most.
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she → say → him
When I really started getting sick is when he was the sweetest to me …
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he → start → me
Brian was a chiropractor, but he says he could not diagnose what was wrong with Hannah.
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what → say → Hannah
I had no idea … that's out of my forte.
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that → have → forte
Um, that's someone that I would refer out, refer to a specialist, which is what I wanted to do.
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I → refer → what
On Jan. 18, 2022, Hannah checked in with her mother Nicole Pettey.
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Hannah → check → mother
After they hung up, Nicole says she was haunted by something she heard in her daughter's voice.
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she → hang → voice
Nicole Pettey: Just know that feeling, I knew something was wrong.
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something → know → feeling
I called and called and called and texted …
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I → call → ?
Hannah called me finally … but she wasn't able to speak. …
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she → call → me
So she just kind of gasped … and then she'd asked me, she said, "Mom, can you take me to the hospital?"
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you → gasp → hospital
What was making Hannah Pettey sick?
Brian was at work, so Nicole rushed over and drove Hannah to UAB, the hospital at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
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Nicole → make → Birmingham
While there, Nicole took several photos and videos.
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Nicole → take → photos
The doctor … said, obviously she is very sick …
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she → say → ?
I wanna keep her, but there's … no way that they're gonna let me keep her.
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me → keep → her
I said … "if you send her home, she's gonna die …"
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she → say → her
It was right then that Hannah suffered a terrifying seizure, and, in the frenzy, she ripped off her hospital gown.
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she → suffer → gown
For Nicole, that moment is frozen in time.
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moment → freeze → time
they told me that she was actually starving to death when we got there, they said she was, had hours to live …
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she → tell → hours
One doctor directed her anger at Nicole.
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doctor → direct → Nicole
She's like, does she live with you?
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she → live → you
Like obviously someone should have seen that this person was dying, you know.
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you → see → ?
This person was starving to death. …
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person → starve → death
She said, "who is responsible for her?"
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who → say → her
Anne-Marie Green: What'd you say?
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you → say → ?
And I said, she's married and they said, "she's married?"
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she → say → ?
The seizure was so severe Hannah lost consciousness.
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Hannah → lose → consciousness
Doctors wanted to talk with Hannah's husband, so Nicole says she texted Brian:
"Hey Brian, Hannah had a seizure about 2 hours ago.
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Hannah → want → seizure
She still has not come to yet…
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She → come → ?
they said she could be out all day long, so I wanted to let you know if she's not texting you that is why…"
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that → say → you
And I, of course, didn't get a response from him …
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I → get → him
So you don't get … a text back — from Brian …
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you → get → Brian
…and 354 more, not listed.
