Millie's Story
 
Millie and her husband were planning a summer vacation. Millie, who had been overweight most of her life, wanted to lose 15 pounds before their June trip just three months away. It seemed as if she had tried every diet on the market to lose the extra pounds, but nothing worked.

Toward the end of March, Millie first heard an advertisement for Metabolife®. According to the ad, the supplement was a safe way to lose weight. Because the packaging and labeling said it was an “all natural” supplement—not a prescription medication—Millie didn’t think to ask her doctor about using it.

Millie found Metabolife® at her local grocery store near the pharmacy section. She bought her first container and, after reading the small-print label, started taking one capsule three times a day. She began feeling the effects almost immediately. Initially, she felt as though she had more energy than ever. She felt better able to keep up her full-time work schedule while taking care of her family and home.

Millie also noticed some less positive effects from Metabolife®. Her heart raced and, occasionally, she was lightheaded. At times, she also found it difficult to sleep, cleaning the house late at night when she was unable to stay in bed. At this time, Millie still did not think to tell her doctor about the symptoms. Instead, she thought her racing heart and lightheadedness were due to her eating less. “Maybe”, she thought, “this diet is actually working.”

After using Metabolife® for three weeks, Millie decided to increase her dose to two caplets, three times a day, a dose recommended on the label. Two days later, as she and her husband sat down to watch television one evening, she collapsed. It was sudden and without warning. Millie lay on the floor, unresponsive. The 911 operator told Millie’s husband to stay by her side and talk to her until the ambulance came. When the paramedics arrived, Millie was not breathing on her own and her heartbeat was irregular. Blood was not getting to her brain and other vital organs. On the way to the emergency room, CPR was performed and a heartbeat recaptured. Tragically, Millie’s life would never again be the same.

Millie remained in a coma for many days, with tubes assisting with her breathing and eating. When she awoke from the coma and was able to breathe on her own again, she was transferred to a residential rehabilitation program. To this day, Millie remains in a long-term care facility where she requires constant attention. She is wheelchair-bound, has lost control of her bowel and bladder functions, and is severely, mentally impaired. She will never regain her pre-injury level of functioning nor ever be the wife, mother and provider she once was.

The attorneys at the Law Offices of Stuart A. Kritzer, P.C. have helped lessen the financial hardship for Millie and her family by working to secure a substantial settlement.