Making sense of Barbara Dawson’s tragic death.

In the audiotape you can hear Barbara say 10 times “I cannot breathe” before she collapses, yet those words no longer register with those responsible for her care. It shows us how powerful a category becomes in creating our reality. The category of “malingering” caused them to be unable to register her pleas for help as meaningful and urgent. It took a full 20 minutes for them to update their understanding of Barbara’s situation.