Alberta man still searching for answers in the death of his wife at the Hanna Hospital

It will be a difficult Christmas for Cory Ashley, his first since his wife Lillian died in a Hanna, Alberta hospital Dec. 26, 2020.

“I wish more had happened already. The waiting is the hardest part.”

Ashley says he is anticipating a report from the medical examiner on the cause of Vanasse’s death any day now, and that the only thing keeping him alive is his desire to seek justice in her name.

WATCH: The husband of Lillian Vanasse says neglect, racism led to death in hospital

“Racism. Hatred. Systemic racism. Profiling. Clinical bias,” is what Ashley believes led to improper care of his wife that night and ultimately her death.

Vanasse awoke Christmas day not feeling well, and by 8 p.m. that night her breathing had become laboured. Paramedics ushered her to the Hanna Hospital. Ashley says it was there that Vanasse was denied oxygen despite her obvious inability to breathe.

“I asked why my wife wasn’t getting any oxygen because she has restricted breathing. They said they were waiting for a lab technician and a doctor. I said you don’t need them to know she needs oxygen.”

Vanasse was using methadone to manage abdominal pain which had become worse that week. She had increased her daily dosage the night before. Ashley feels his wife was discriminated against because of her use of methadone and her being Indigenous.

Ashley filed complaints with the College and Association of Registered Nurses of Alberta, and following its investigation, the Complaints Director called two nurses involved in her care to separate hearing tribunals this September.

According to the CARNA website, a hearing takes place if there is enough evidence for a tribunal to reasonably conclude that a nurse engaged in unprofessional conduct.

Meantime, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta is investigating Vanasse’s death as well. Ashley is impressed that they have involved an Indigenous investigator.

“One of my biggest complaints was that this was all bias. Every single investigator is white, and my wife was Indigenous. CPSA brought in an Indigenous investigator to work with a white investigator. They’ve compiled evidence, and once they have wrapped up all the interviews, they will hand over the case to another Indigenous independent doctor. He has eight weeks to go over the file and make his decisions.”

The RCMP’s investigation into Vanasse’s death is still ongoing.