PHOENIX, Dec. 6 (UPI) -- The father of an 11-year-old girl whose mother took her from a Phoenix hospital before discharge said he blames the hospital for the woman's unauthorized move.
Luis Bracamontes, 43, said on the "Today" show his wife, Norma Bracamontes, felt pressured into dressing their daughter Emily in a wig and walking her out of the hospital Nov. 28, the Arizona Republic reported Wednesday.
He would not give information on his daughter's whereabouts, but said she is under the care of a doctor in Mexico.
The father said Emily, a leukemia patient, got an infection from an injection in her arm while in the hospital. The doctors performed several surgeries to combat the infection, but finally the arm was amputated.
"She didn't come to the hospital with any illness in her arm. This happened in the hospital. Who is going to come forward and say 'I'm responsible for it?'" Luis Bracamontes said.
He said that the family also felt pressured about the mounting hospital bills and there was confusion about what insurance and Medicaid may cover and what would have to be paid out-of-pocket. He said the medical bills had reached $1.37 million and the family's insurance limit was $2 million per year.
Steve Martos, a spokesman for the Phoenix police, said hospital staff told him Emily's life is in danger due to a catheter in her chest that could become infected if it isn't sealed properly.
Bracamontes, however, said that Emily's leukemia is in remission and Emily's current doctor said the catheter may remain in her chest for a year without risking complications.
