Mother of Teen in Tragic Hospital Mix-Up Speaks
Abby Guerra's mother thanks family who cared for her, thinking she was theirs.
July 29, 2010 — -- What do you say to the family who for days kept vigil at your daughter's hospital bedside, mistakenly believing their little girl was the one under the bandages, until being told she had actually died?
For one Arizona mother, the answer was simple: Thank you.
"I'm really grateful for the Cantu family because they were at my daughter's side everyday, taking care of her," Maria Guerra, mother of Abby Guerra, told "Good Morning America" today. "I know they're going through a lot of pain because I went through it already. I just want them to be strong and really, give them all the support. ... They were taking care of my daughter."
Abby Guerra and Marlena Cantu were riding together on a highway in Arizona when they were in a car wreck two weeks ago. Their families were told Guerra was killed in the wreck and Cantu was fighting for her life in critical condition.
After five days of prayer and worry for one family and grieving for another, the hospital gave the families shocking news: There had been a mix-up. Guerra was the one in critical condition. Cantu was dead.
"It's hard to describe," Maria Guerra told reporters Wednesday.
The family had already planned Abby Guerra's funeral.
Maria Guerra said she was repeatedly rebuffed when she tried to see what she thought were her daughter's remains. It was only after an autopsy that was scheduled for Friday of last week that she said officials would allow her to see her daughter the next day.
But before she could do that, Guerra said, officials from the Arizona Department of Public Safety came to her home asking questions about her daughter.
"They didn't tell me anything at that time. ... I don't know what to express but it was really hard to understand what was going on," Guerra said.
Eventually, the officials left, but not before gathering her daughter's toothbrush and retainer, possibly to aid in identification.
Maria Guerra said she didn't find out about the mix-up until at least two hours later when the family was to retrieve their daughter's remains to prepare them for her funeral.
"Despite our daily requests to view the body, we were not permitted to do so for the six days between being notified of her death and the revelation she was alive," Abby's aunt, Dorenda Cisneros, told reporters Wednesday. "If this had occurred, we strongly feel that this horrible situation could have been avoided."
