The mother of a New Gloucester teen who died four years ago is in Cumberland County court this week, suing a Brunswick health care provider that she says is responsible for her daughter’s death.
Jasmine Vincent was 15 years old when she died on Aug. 1, 2021. One doctor told her family a few weeks before her death that she had pneumonia. Then a gynecologist for Mid Coast Medical Group, which is being sued, later dismissed the severe and unusual swelling of Jasmine’s breasts as a response to a steroid medication she had been prescribed by the first doctor.
In reality, the girl had a rare but treatable form of leukemia, attorneys say. But she was never diagnosed while alive.
Jasmine’s mother, Lyndsey Sutherland, sued Mid Coast, which is overseen by MaineHealth, under the Maine Wrongful Death Act two years ago. Sutherland is seeking damages to be determined by a jury, should they find Mid Coast liable for her daughter’s death.
Vincent met with Mid Coast gynecologist Dr. Danielle Salhany less than a week before her death. Sutherland’s attorney Meryl Poulin said Salhany was the last doctor to see her, and that the girl’s breasts were discolored and swollen, making it hard for her to breathe. The veins running from her neck to her chest were bigger than normal.
“This case is about a patient who had unusual symptoms but was provided with unserious medical care, and that led to an unimaginable result,” Poulin said.
The problem wasn’t that Salhany didn’t recognize the leukemia, Poulin said, but rather that the gynecologist declined to order an X-ray that same day.
During opening statements, Poulin showed the jury a picture of Vincent and described some of the things the girl loved — including fashion and cheerleading, which she started when she was 3 years old.
Sutherland told the Portland Press Herald in 2023 the girl loved movies and trips to the beach, and that she loved her older sisters dearly.
“If you were in her circle, you were in her circle,” Sutherland said at the time. “There’s not a second I don’t miss her.”
Vincent had met with her primary care provider at Martin’s Point in southern Maine in the weeks leading up to her visit at Mid Coast, according to court records. That’s where she was diagnosed with pneumonia, after reporting a bad cough and stomach ache.
Sutherland had also sued Martin’s Point in 2023 but dropped them from her lawsuit ahead of trial, according to court records.
Mid Coast’s attorney, Matthew Wahrer, said Salhany was acting on information she received from Martin’s Point, and that Mid Coast had only a limited view into the girl’s conditions.
“Every person that has ever touched this case feels the weight of that loss,” Wahrer told the jury. “Your ultimate decision in this case must rest on the evidence … that evidence will show you that Dr. Salhany acted as a reasonable physician. That evidence will show you that Dr. Salhany did nothing wrong.”
Poulin said there was no reason Salhany shouldn’t have requested an X-ray, given that they were readily available at the Brunswick campus.
Instead, Salhany diagnosed Jasmine with gynecomastia, which Poulin said is a typical diagnosis for men and not teenage girls. Poulin said Salhany also suggested Jasmine put “cold cabbage leaves” on her breasts if the swelling didn’t stop, a tip for breastfeeding mothers.
“The Mid Coast doctor, who had never once seen or diagnosed gynecomastia in her entire medical career, chose that diagnosis for the very first time, on this occasion, and did so without ordering a single test,” Poulin said.
Salhany is not being sued herself but is scheduled to testify later this week. She was sitting in court Monday with several attorneys for Mid Coast.
Wahrer suggested Monday that Vincent was referred to Brunswick because Martin’s Point was “too busy” and that Salhany was on-call the day Vincent was referred to Mid Coast, handling deliveries and other same-day appointments.
“Dr. Salhany was happy to see Jasmine,” Wahrer said in court. “She made time, because she wanted her to be seen. … You’re going to hear experts on both sides say that was the right thing to do.”
A spokesperson for Martin’s Point said Monday morning they are declining to discuss the case “out of respect for the family’s privacy, and in accordance with our confidentiality obligations as a health care provider.”
Both Sutherland and Mid Coast plan to call on experts throughout the week who will weigh in on Salhany’s care. The trial is expected to last all week.
This story was originally published by the Maine Trust for Local News. Emily Allen can be reached at [email protected].
