First, a quick review of the facts:

David and Collet Stephan are on trial for failing to provide the necessaries of life — for failing to seek medical care for their son in a reasonably prudent time/manner. They are NOT on trial for murder or manslaughter.

Ezekiel Stephan died from bacterial meningitis, the kind which is vaccine-preventable and when promptly and properly treated, can be fully recovered from.

The child did NOT have viral meningitis

.

The bacterial meningitis was at such an advanced state by the time Ezekiel finally reached hospital, he was clinically brain dead and sepsis was coursing through his bloodstream; the post-mortem revealed pus on his brain, in his spinal fluid, and on his right lung.

These facts are 100% knowable, and known, and irrefutable. People lie, autopsies and medical reports do not.

The child’s health deteriorated for weeks: he was displaying neurological abnormalities (likely small seizures) and was neither eating nor drinking, but sustained through an eyedropper, as the parents stuck to the “game plan” they’d drafted to “use as many natural things” as possible before resorting to proper medical intervention.

As Ezekiel lay dying in hospital, his parents were defending the efficacy of their plan.

The CBC reports:

Asked by the officer whether he considered himself an expert in naturopathic remedies, Stephan said no.

“Do we have a formal education? No. Are we educated in it? Absolutely,” he said. “Has it worked for us in every single scenario in the past before this? Yes.”

Ezekiel was regularly given vitamin and mineral supplements, said his father, who is a vice-president of Truehope Nutritional Support Inc., a natural remedies company founded by his father, Anthony Stephan.

“And then when he was sick there, we were giving him, above and beyond that, the olive root extract, which is an antifungal, antiviral, it’s a very powerful one.”

The mother told investigators that the nurse-friend she called to check on Ezekiel advised he was showing symptoms of meningitis, and yet she ignored the friend’s advice to take the child to see a medical doctor. 

Instead, Collet “went online and researched meningitis … and it looked like he had about 95 per cent of those, the symptoms of a viral meningitis.”

Again from the CBC:



The mother told the officer she immediately started giving Ezekiel natural antibiotics and anti-inflammatories, along with a product called Total Reload, “which is filled with electrolytes, vitamins … and amino acids that are already a broke-down form of protein,” she said.

“And so we started getting that into him immediately and he started to improve very quickly.”

Total Reload is one of several natural supplement products sold by Truehope Nutritional Support Inc.

That “improvement” included his body being visibly contorted and too stiff to sit in his car seat when they sought out the Naturopath and purchased an Echinacea mixture to administer to the child.

Ezekiel was given another Truehope product called Empowerplus which, according to the father, “had obviously a profound effect on him, and he was doing great, he ended up going right to sleep and it was a completely relaxed sleep, he was no longer arching his back.”

No longer arching his back, and soon, no longer breathing.

The Stephans called 911 twice — with a 23 minute gap in-between. For a full 23 minutes after Ezekiel first exhibited signs of respiratory distress – the father counted 5- and 6-second gaps between breaths – the Stephans opted to ‘wait and see’ as Ezekiel struggled to breathe for nearly a half-hour.

Ezekiel did not die from lack of oxygen, nor was his brain affected by time in Ambulance without a properly fitting face-mask. The child was being worked on by paramedics the entire time.

Brain death from oxygen is markedly different from brain death from meningitis, and both the CT scan in hospital and autopsy conformed there were NO signs of brain damage or death from oxygen deprivation.

The child died from “a cardiac arrest secondary to what was likely a hypoxic event because of his overwhelming bacterial meningitis.”

Further to Ezekiel’s diagnosis and likely state of health, a paediatrician explains:

Dr. Adeagbo concluded that Ezekiel died from both bacterial meningitis as well as pneumonia with an accompanying empyema. Empyema is typically diagnosed in the setting of a bacterial pneumonia when pus collects within the lining of the lung.
So what does this mean? It certainly makes sense from a clinical perspective. Ezekiel likely developed bacterial pneumonia caused by infection by either S. pneumo or HiB, which went untreated and developed into an empyema. At this point surgical drainage is usually necessary for recovery in addition to appropriate antibiotic treatment. His bloodstream was repeatedly showered with the pathogenic bacteria, which eventually made its way to the child’s brain.

This new information adds to my suspicion that Ezekiel was much more ill-appearing than described by his parents and the nurse who visited the family’s home. Although there may have been some degree of waxing and waning of his symptoms, particularly with the fever he almost certainly developed during the course of his illness, I am very skeptical of claims that he had any significant recovery just prior to his arrest. This also makes it more likely that he suffered a great deal prior to his death.

Those who’ve been following this case will be familiar with the aggressive misinformation campaign mounted by the Stephans and their apologists/supporters.

A few to note:

Karen Selick, who I’ve touched on before.

Selick is acting as part of the Stephan’s PR campaign, and her connections to Anthony Stephan and Truehope go back to 2004 (more of her beliefs in dubious alternative health treatments are detailed here as well.)

She has a long history of working along side a man named Shawn Buckley — president of the Natural Health Products Protection Association (NHPPA – an alt-med/health lobby) and defence lawyer for David and Collet Stephan.

He previously represented Truehope/Anthony Stephan in the fight with Health Canada.

Buckley was supposed to be at a recent Total Health Show in Toronto, but couldn’t attend due to the trial. 

Selick was there, though, and distributing photocopies of her (now pulled) op-ed for the Lethbridge Herald (a nearly identical version still appears on Huffington Post Canada) where she lies about my column for the National Post and about the case itself.

Danielle Smith had Selick on her radio program to repeat a number of untruths about the case, completely unchallenged.

Smith later hosted a man named Ian Stewart to present the “other side” of the story.

Stewart is Vice-President of the NHPPA and Director of Regulatory Affairs for Truehope.
He is also the one behind the Stephan’s Stand 4 Truth blog where he offers a skewed interpretation of events from the trial.

Stewart was on Smith’s show – again completely without question – to misinform about the case and push the defence’s big ‘bombshell.’
Both Stewart and Selick (with many thanks to Danielle Smith) were instrumental in pushing the, as described by another member of the Stephan family:

Massive massive system shaking scandal coming out in court tomorrow as Albertas Recently retired Chief Medical Examiner testifies AGAINST the crowns star witness and the Provinicial Government specifically regarding this case!!!!!!!!!! Massive cover up!!!!!!

Here’s what you need to know about Dr. Anny Sauvageau:

Her qualifications and credentials have come under scrutiny before. She is not board-certified or trained in forensic pathology, nor does she have license to practice medicine in Alberta.

She did not, at any point, examine the child and her nonsensical testimony and blatant misreading of the autopsy would have medical professionals calling for her to be stripped of her medical license — but she doesn’t have one.

There’s much, much more to write about the many players involved in this case, the multitude of conspiracy theories they’ve concocted regarding the trial and the case itself, and the trail of lies from all involved which, thanks to testimony from medical professionals and recorded police interviews, have been exposed as such.

For now, however, just be aware of what you’re being sold when you’re presented with other versions of this tragic story, and by whom.