Witness Testimony

Samantha Monaghan testified that she brought her 11-year-old son to the IWK hospital in September 2022 due to a swollen elbow, where bloodwork revealed critically low hemoglobin requiring a transfusion. She stated that she requested to donate her own blood or arrange directed donations from approximately 300 donors she had rallied, but was informed this was not permitted and that only blood from the Nova Scotia blood bank could be used. She further testified that she was told her parental rights could be removed if she refused the transfusion, and she consented under what she described as duress.
Her son received the transfusion and later died on November 21, approximately 12 weeks afterward. She testified that he had underlying medical conditions, including fumarase deficiency and polymicrogyria, but stated these did not affect his heart. According to her testimony, the autopsy listed “underlying conditions” as the cause of death, although she stated that her doctor believed he may have suffered cardiac arrest.
Monaghan stated she has no direct evidence that the blood transfusion caused her son’s death but expressed concern that vaccinated donor blood could have contained spike proteins or other substances she believed might cause harm. She testified that she was not offered the option to store or use her own blood in advance and raised broader concerns about transparency and parental choice in blood transfusion policies during the COVID-19 period.