Hudson Hub Times: Family's efforts helped make trip to pharmacy safer

March 28, 2010
by Laura Freeman, reporter

Everyone makes mistakes. I routinely check my take-out orders before leaving a restaurant and check my receipt for the sale price before leaving a store, much to my husband’s embarrassment. Recently, two mistakes at a local pharmacy made me thankful there are people like the Jerrys who fight for all of us.

The Jerry family has championed Emily’s Law to help protect patients from pharmacy errors.

Christopher Jerry of Willoughby visited Council March 9 and shared the story of his daughter, Emily, who had been diagnosed with a treatable and curable cancer. By the time she was 2, the tumor was gone. It was February 2006 and she was undergoing her last treatment of chemotherapy when she received a fatal dose of saline solution — a sterile solution of sodium chloride, or salt in water, given intravenously.

“One error changed everything,” Jerry said. “I want to share my personal tragedy and how easily it could be avoided.”

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