Fort St. John Mother Speaks Out After Son’s Injury Mishandled, Sparks Wave of Health-Care Complaints

A mother in Fort St. John, B.C., is raising serious concerns about local health care after she says her 15-year-old son’s injury was mishandled, leading to worsening damage and the possible need for surgery.

Melanie Jansen says the ordeal began on May 6 when her son Hudson fell off his bike and immediately complained of extreme pain. His leg had swelled to three times its normal size. “He’s a tough kid, so when he said we needed to go to the hospital, I knew something was really wrong,” she said.

They were quickly triaged and sent for X-rays, but waited more than five hours before a doctor saw them in a hallway, offering crutches, a tensor bandage, and painkillers before sending them home.

The following day, Jansen received an urgent voicemail from the same doctor saying the X-rays showed Hudson needed to return to the hospital immediately for a splint. But when they went back, a different doctor delayed treatment again, saying he needed to consult an orthopedic specialist in Dawson Creek. After another five-hour wait, they were sent home again—with no splint and no diagnosis.

It wasn’t until May 14—over a week later—that Hudson finally saw a visiting orthopedic surgeon in Dawson Creek, 74 kilometres away. The first question the surgeon asked, Jansen says, was: “Why is that leg not splinted?”

Only then did they learn that Hudson had, in fact, broken a bone. The injury had worsened over the week without proper stabilization, and now the family must wait to see if the damage can heal without surgery.

Jansen shared her experience on Facebook, where it quickly gained traction, prompting dozens of others to come forward with similar stories of delays, misdiagnoses, and lack of care at Fort St. John’s emergency room.

“This isn’t just about wait times,” she said. “It’s about care not being delivered. People are being misdiagnosed, sent home when they shouldn’t be. Something is clearly broken.”

MLA Jordan Kealy, who represents the area, said health care is the top concern in his riding. He entered politics after his own family faced barriers to care. “This isn’t a new problem—it’s been building,” he said.

Fort St. John’s emergency department has faced repeated closures in recent years, including five nights in one week last July. On May 14, the same day Hudson saw the specialist, the public was again advised to avoid the ER due to long wait times.

Jansen, a long-time resident, says she now relies on a family doctor over 1,000 kilometres away in Salmon Arm because she couldn’t find adequate care locally. “You want to believe the system will help you, that you can trust it—but it let us down.”

Northern Health confirmed the case has been reviewed but declined to share details, citing patient confidentiality. It said any care concerns should be directed to hospital management or formally submitted to the Patient Care Quality Office.

Jansen says she was never informed a review had taken place and remains frustrated by the lack of communication. Still, she’s hopeful her story can spark change. “We deserve a health-care system we can trust. Too many people are paying the price.”