1 00:00:02,740 --> 00:00:07,260 Is she breathing? No, she's not. OK, so she's not breathing at all? 2 00:00:07,260 --> 00:00:10,180 She's not responding. Tragedy strikes music superstar 3 00:00:10,180 --> 00:00:14,740 Kanye West. His mother, a woman he calls his soul and rock, is dead. 4 00:00:14,740 --> 00:00:17,700 As the mother of megastar Kanye West, 5 00:00:17,700 --> 00:00:20,260 Donda West went from modest beginnings 6 00:00:20,260 --> 00:00:24,340 to raise her son to be one of the biggest rappers in the world 7 00:00:24,340 --> 00:00:29,020 and became a regular attendee at the brightest parties in showbiz. 8 00:00:29,020 --> 00:00:32,700 Donda broke every stereotype 9 00:00:32,700 --> 00:00:35,980 about single black women raising black sons. 10 00:00:35,980 --> 00:00:41,660 But on November 10, 2007, Donda West died 24 hours 11 00:00:41,660 --> 00:00:43,780 after cosmetic surgery. 12 00:00:45,340 --> 00:00:48,340 She died Saturday night. The cause of her death, though, the exact 13 00:00:48,340 --> 00:00:49,940 cause, has not been released. 14 00:00:49,940 --> 00:00:53,900 I feel like sometimes, if me and my mum 15 00:00:53,900 --> 00:00:56,060 never moved to Hollywood, that she'd still be here. 16 00:00:57,780 --> 00:01:00,300 In the media storm, the finger of suspicion was pointed 17 00:01:00,300 --> 00:01:04,100 at her surgeon, Dr Jan Adams. Don't you want to speak out? 18 00:01:04,100 --> 00:01:06,780 No. 19 00:01:06,780 --> 00:01:09,220 Donda's surgery seemed to go well. 20 00:01:09,220 --> 00:01:13,900 The real mystery is, why did she die suddenly just 24 hours later? 21 00:01:27,620 --> 00:01:31,820 Dr Michael Hunter is a world-renowned forensic pathologist. 22 00:01:31,820 --> 00:01:36,660 He's performed over 4,000 autopsies to investigate and reveal the cause 23 00:01:36,660 --> 00:01:38,260 of death. 24 00:01:38,260 --> 00:01:40,540 Today, he's the chief medical examiner 25 00:01:40,540 --> 00:01:44,060 in one of America's biggest cities. 26 00:01:44,060 --> 00:01:47,100 I have here in my hands an extremely thorough, 27 00:01:47,100 --> 00:01:50,340 36-page autopsy report on the death of Donda West. 28 00:01:51,900 --> 00:01:53,740 It's clear that she underwent 29 00:01:53,740 --> 00:01:57,940 cosmetic surgery prior to her death and the coroner concluded multiple 30 00:01:57,940 --> 00:02:01,500 post-operative factors could have played a role in the death, 31 00:02:01,500 --> 00:02:06,180 but the exact contribution of each factor could not be determined. 32 00:02:06,180 --> 00:02:11,980 So my challenge is to unravel the precise reasons why Donda West died. 33 00:02:21,780 --> 00:02:23,780 58-year-old Donda West is about to undergo 34 00:02:23,780 --> 00:02:26,620 liposuction and breast enhancement. 35 00:02:26,620 --> 00:02:30,940 She moved to California three years ago from the Midwest after quitting 36 00:02:30,940 --> 00:02:34,140 her job as an English professor when her son, the rapper, Kanye, 37 00:02:34,140 --> 00:02:36,300 asked her to become his manager. 38 00:02:39,620 --> 00:02:44,300 Kanye has just released his third album, 'Graduation', to acclaim 39 00:02:44,300 --> 00:02:48,500 and is now engaged to fashion designer Alexis Phifer. 40 00:02:48,500 --> 00:02:51,700 It is he who is paying for his mother's surgery. 41 00:02:51,700 --> 00:02:56,180 Kanye said that he thought his mother was beautiful as she was. 42 00:02:56,180 --> 00:03:00,860 But, when you love someone that much and that's what they want, 43 00:03:00,860 --> 00:03:04,860 then you can understand why he would happily pay for it. 44 00:03:04,860 --> 00:03:09,340 Having approached various doctors about surgery, 45 00:03:09,340 --> 00:03:13,540 Donda has finally chosen Dr Jan Adams, a highly regarded surgeon, 46 00:03:13,540 --> 00:03:15,780 for the procedures. 47 00:03:15,780 --> 00:03:20,260 The autopsy report shows that Donda had multiple cosmetic procedures. 48 00:03:20,260 --> 00:03:23,620 She has incisions on the upper and lower portions of her body, 49 00:03:23,620 --> 00:03:27,300 showing us the extent of this surgery. 50 00:03:28,700 --> 00:03:30,860 8am. 51 00:03:30,860 --> 00:03:32,340 Donda is being pre-assessed for surgery. 52 00:03:34,060 --> 00:03:37,740 The operation will last 5.5 hours, during which time she will be under 53 00:03:37,740 --> 00:03:39,780 general anaesthetic. 54 00:03:39,780 --> 00:03:43,740 Her vital signs will be monitored throughout. 55 00:03:50,260 --> 00:03:55,820 Donda West was born on July 12, 1949, in Oklahoma City. 56 00:03:55,820 --> 00:04:00,780 As a child, she was affectionately known as 'Big Girl' by her parents, 57 00:04:00,780 --> 00:04:03,820 Portwood and Lucille Williams. 58 00:04:03,820 --> 00:04:07,380 Her parents instilled in her excellence. 59 00:04:07,380 --> 00:04:09,780 She told a story about getting 60 00:04:09,780 --> 00:04:15,100 all As and a B and her father said, "Why did you get the B?" 61 00:04:16,860 --> 00:04:21,260 Donda was also, most importantly, on a scholarship at Virginia Union 62 00:04:21,260 --> 00:04:24,380 a music scholarship. 63 00:04:24,380 --> 00:04:27,340 She was a member of the college choir 64 00:04:27,340 --> 00:04:29,780 and Donda was a very good singer. 65 00:04:30,900 --> 00:04:36,620 She started her teaching career in the early 1970s and, by 1973, 66 00:04:36,620 --> 00:04:39,980 she had married Ray West, an award-winning photographer 67 00:04:39,980 --> 00:04:42,100 and member of the Black Panther party. 68 00:04:44,260 --> 00:04:48,060 When I think about her relationship with Ray West, they had these deep 69 00:04:48,060 --> 00:04:52,220 debates and conversations and there was a lot of passion. It just seems 70 00:04:52,220 --> 00:04:56,100 that they were the perfect match to make a Kanye West. 71 00:04:57,420 --> 00:05:03,140 Kanye West, their first and only child, was born on June 8, 1977, 72 00:05:03,140 --> 00:05:04,620 in Atlanta. 73 00:05:11,260 --> 00:05:15,660 At the age of three, Kanye moved to Chicago with his mother 74 00:05:15,660 --> 00:05:17,500 after his parents divorced. 75 00:05:17,500 --> 00:05:20,420 Donda raised Kanye as a single mother. 76 00:05:21,260 --> 00:05:24,500 She took parenting to the whole other level. 77 00:05:24,500 --> 00:05:27,660 You know, she brought her educator part 78 00:05:27,660 --> 00:05:29,980 into this little being that now was going to be her child. 79 00:05:29,980 --> 00:05:34,580 At the same time, she forged a successful career as a teacher, 80 00:05:34,580 --> 00:05:39,060 rising to professor of English at Chicago State University. 81 00:05:43,820 --> 00:05:49,340 Donda had many of the challenges raising a son, juggling schedules, 82 00:05:49,340 --> 00:05:53,980 needing child care, living in a city where you have no relatives, 83 00:05:53,980 --> 00:05:55,340 no real support systems, 84 00:05:55,340 --> 00:05:59,420 and raising a son who wanted to rap. 85 00:05:59,420 --> 00:06:03,380 Because she wanted him to go to college, she said, 86 00:06:03,380 --> 00:06:10,740 but he wanted to rap so she respected what he wanted to do. 87 00:06:10,740 --> 00:06:13,820 I was working on music and I was 88 00:06:13,820 --> 00:06:15,860 still living at home and saying, 89 00:06:15,860 --> 00:06:18,860 "This is what I'm doing with my life." And she said, "You know, 90 00:06:18,860 --> 00:06:21,460 Kanye, until you get paid for it, it's still a hobby." 91 00:06:21,460 --> 00:06:24,300 And that was just worded so eloquently in comparison to some 92 00:06:24,300 --> 00:06:27,540 of my friends' parents that said, "You ain't never gonna make it!" 93 00:06:27,540 --> 00:06:29,300 You know? Right. 94 00:06:29,300 --> 00:06:34,100 With his mum's support, Kanye dropped out of college and dedicated 95 00:06:34,100 --> 00:06:36,220 himself to become a rapper. 96 00:06:36,220 --> 00:06:39,300 They were both very determined people and when you have 97 00:06:39,300 --> 00:06:42,380 two very determined people that are 98 00:06:42,380 --> 00:06:44,780 the most important figure in the other one's lives, I think 99 00:06:44,780 --> 00:06:48,500 there's an incredible intensity there, an incredible bond. 100 00:06:48,500 --> 00:06:51,820 And that's what I think maybe made them such a great team. 101 00:06:51,820 --> 00:06:53,340 It really was them against the world. 102 00:07:03,757 --> 00:07:05,397 Donda is wheeled into the operating room. 103 00:07:07,557 --> 00:07:10,797 While his mother is about to go under the knife, 104 00:07:10,797 --> 00:07:13,557 Kanye is over 5,000 miles away in London, 105 00:07:13,557 --> 00:07:16,277 promoting his new album, 'Graduation'. 106 00:07:19,237 --> 00:07:21,557 8:45am. 107 00:07:21,557 --> 00:07:24,357 Donda receives a general anaesthetic. 108 00:07:26,157 --> 00:07:28,677 I know that Donda was planning surgery for a long time. 109 00:07:28,677 --> 00:07:33,117 She weighs 188lbs, she's 5'2" tall 110 00:07:33,117 --> 00:07:37,637 and that's a BMI of 32.2, which means she's clinically obese. 111 00:07:39,037 --> 00:07:42,117 Donda's weight is significant because the autopsy report shows 112 00:07:42,117 --> 00:07:44,397 that she has an underactive thyroid gland, 113 00:07:44,397 --> 00:07:47,197 a condition known as hypothyroidism. 114 00:07:49,157 --> 00:07:50,917 Hypothyroidism 115 00:07:50,917 --> 00:07:54,637 is when the thyroid gland doesn't produce enough hormones. 116 00:07:54,637 --> 00:07:59,717 This causes the metabolism to slow down, resulting in weight gain. 117 00:08:01,117 --> 00:08:04,557 This discovery explains why Donda had such a difficult time keeping 118 00:08:04,557 --> 00:08:07,717 her weight under control. 119 00:08:09,237 --> 00:08:11,717 What I noticed from this autopsy report is that Donda's 120 00:08:11,717 --> 00:08:14,357 first procedure was liposuction. 121 00:08:14,357 --> 00:08:18,277 This is a cosmetic procedure in which fat is removed from the body. 122 00:08:20,237 --> 00:08:22,557 9am. 123 00:08:22,557 --> 00:08:25,357 Donda is first positioned for the liposuction procedure. 124 00:08:27,557 --> 00:08:31,877 In liposuction, initially, a cold salt solution containing adrenalin 125 00:08:31,877 --> 00:08:34,077 and a local anaesthetic is injected 126 00:08:34,077 --> 00:08:36,957 into the fatty tissues. Suction, please. 127 00:08:36,957 --> 00:08:39,957 Next, a large, hollow needle attached to a powerful suction 128 00:08:39,957 --> 00:08:44,037 machine is inserted through several small cuts in the skin. 129 00:08:44,037 --> 00:08:48,637 It is passing pockets of fat where it's moved around with force. 130 00:08:51,957 --> 00:08:55,157 Fat is quite solid and needs some liquidising in order to 131 00:08:55,157 --> 00:08:56,877 be sucked into the tube. 132 00:08:56,877 --> 00:09:00,997 The saline solution helps to loosen and liquidise the fat. 133 00:09:03,037 --> 00:09:06,757 What I'm asking myself at this point is, "Does Donda have any 134 00:09:06,757 --> 00:09:07,997 pre-existing natural disease 135 00:09:07,997 --> 00:09:10,677 that might complicate general anaesthesia?" 136 00:09:10,677 --> 00:09:13,197 I see from the autopsy that she does have one 137 00:09:13,197 --> 00:09:16,997 significant medical condition and that's borderline diabetes. 138 00:09:18,797 --> 00:09:20,877 Management of adults who have diabetes and undergo 139 00:09:20,877 --> 00:09:22,357 surgery is crucial. 140 00:09:22,357 --> 00:09:26,557 I can see that Donda's surgical team was unaware of any issues 141 00:09:26,557 --> 00:09:29,797 with glucose and they were not following her blood sugar levels. 142 00:09:29,797 --> 00:09:33,117 Now, if Donda did have severe type II diabetes, 143 00:09:33,117 --> 00:09:37,157 she may have had increased glucose levels leading to hyperglycaemia. 144 00:09:37,157 --> 00:09:39,717 That can lead to coma and subsequently death. 145 00:09:39,717 --> 00:09:42,877 But in this particular case, she only has borderline diabetes 146 00:09:42,877 --> 00:09:44,557 so that's unlikely. 147 00:09:47,157 --> 00:09:50,837 At this early stage of the operation, the biggest danger 148 00:09:50,837 --> 00:09:52,277 is the loss of fluids. 149 00:09:54,317 --> 00:09:57,437 Fluid imbalance is one of the most common complications of 150 00:09:57,437 --> 00:10:02,517 liposuction. If the body loses greater than 20% of its overall 151 00:10:02,517 --> 00:10:04,397 blood volume, that causes 152 00:10:04,397 --> 00:10:07,917 the heart to have a difficult time circulating blood to the organs. 153 00:10:07,917 --> 00:10:11,557 That can cause organ damage and ultimately hypovolemic shock. 154 00:10:14,557 --> 00:10:19,077 Hypovolemic shock is an emergency condition in which severe blood 155 00:10:19,077 --> 00:10:23,957 and fluid loss make the heart unable to pump enough blood to the body. 156 00:10:23,957 --> 00:10:25,477 It can be fatal. 157 00:10:26,917 --> 00:10:30,517 And in just 24 hours, Donda will be dead. 158 00:10:31,557 --> 00:10:32,797 Scalpel. 159 00:10:51,397 --> 00:10:54,197 Donda has now been under general anaesthetic for one hour 160 00:10:54,197 --> 00:10:57,637 and is having a liposuction procedure. 161 00:10:57,637 --> 00:11:00,997 The most significant danger to her health at this stage 162 00:11:00,997 --> 00:11:05,597 is a loss of fluids, which can lead to hypovolemic shock. 163 00:11:09,957 --> 00:11:13,357 During Donda's liposuction, I can see that she received 3.5 litres of 164 00:11:13,357 --> 00:11:16,917 fluid and lost 0.4 litres of blood 165 00:11:16,917 --> 00:11:20,117 and had 1.4 litres of fat suctioned. 166 00:11:20,117 --> 00:11:22,757 These are not excessive numbers. 167 00:11:22,757 --> 00:11:24,277 There are no complications 168 00:11:24,277 --> 00:11:29,597 associated with Donda's fluids so I can rule out hypovolemic shock. 169 00:11:33,797 --> 00:11:35,797 What is becoming clear is that Donda is not in 170 00:11:35,797 --> 00:11:37,557 great physical shape. 171 00:11:37,557 --> 00:11:40,597 The question we have to ask ourselves is, "Why would a person 172 00:11:40,597 --> 00:11:45,917 in her condition, at 58 years of age, undergo such a major surgery?" 173 00:11:45,917 --> 00:11:52,277 Donda spent 31 years in higher education, culminating with 174 00:11:52,277 --> 00:11:56,997 chairing the English Department at Chicago State University. 175 00:11:56,997 --> 00:12:02,477 When she retired, she retired because she took the helm of 176 00:12:02,477 --> 00:12:05,277 managing Kanye's career. 177 00:12:06,957 --> 00:12:13,237 In 2004, having spent over 20 years living in Chicago, Donda moved to 178 00:12:13,237 --> 00:12:17,237 Los Angeles and into the show business world of music management. 179 00:12:17,237 --> 00:12:21,957 It was a move that would pay major dividends for her son. 180 00:12:21,957 --> 00:12:27,237 When someone is that important in your life, and is that successful, 181 00:12:27,237 --> 00:12:29,557 I think you need somebody there, you need people you can trust 182 00:12:29,557 --> 00:12:32,557 around you, and Kanye trusted no-one 183 00:12:32,557 --> 00:12:34,877 as much as he trusted his mother. 184 00:12:34,877 --> 00:12:39,757 With his mother by his side, Kanye's debut album, 'The College Dropout', 185 00:12:39,757 --> 00:12:44,237 released in February 2004, catapulted him to international 186 00:12:44,237 --> 00:12:45,917 stardom. 187 00:12:45,917 --> 00:12:50,157 It gave him hit records, 'Through the Wire' and 'Slow Jams', 188 00:12:50,157 --> 00:12:51,717 his first number one. 189 00:12:54,117 --> 00:12:57,557 By early 2007, Kanye West 190 00:12:57,557 --> 00:13:02,677 was named one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. 191 00:13:02,677 --> 00:13:06,637 But managing Kanye and being in LA 192 00:13:06,637 --> 00:13:09,557 meant Donda, too, was thrust into the spotlight. 193 00:13:09,557 --> 00:13:14,397 She was now the manager of one of the hottest acts in music. 194 00:13:14,397 --> 00:13:17,357 Well, it's a lot of pressure and she had a lot of pressure on her. 195 00:13:17,357 --> 00:13:19,077 I don't know who was putting 196 00:13:19,077 --> 00:13:24,837 the pressure on her but she wanted to look the part. 197 00:13:27,877 --> 00:13:33,437 Moving from the Midwest to LA is different. 198 00:13:33,437 --> 00:13:36,477 LA is celebrity-ville 199 00:13:36,477 --> 00:13:39,917 and with being in a celebrity environment 200 00:13:39,917 --> 00:13:43,637 comes a need to look good. 201 00:13:43,637 --> 00:13:46,757 I have friends who are size three 202 00:13:46,757 --> 00:13:51,317 and feel they are fat, who live in LA. 203 00:13:52,877 --> 00:13:55,517 By 2007, Kanye was a superstar. 204 00:13:55,517 --> 00:13:57,277 And when he announced his engagement 205 00:13:57,277 --> 00:14:02,037 to Alexis Phifer, the media circus surrounding him went into overdrive. 206 00:14:04,597 --> 00:14:07,837 Aware of the attention that would be on her and wanting to 207 00:14:07,837 --> 00:14:14,077 look her best for the cameras, Donda finally decided on cosmetic surgery. 208 00:14:14,077 --> 00:14:16,837 I don't think there's a woman out there that can't empathise 209 00:14:16,837 --> 00:14:19,757 with the sense of not feeling good enough, not feeling that you look 210 00:14:19,757 --> 00:14:21,717 the right way to be accepted. 211 00:14:21,717 --> 00:14:24,997 I believe that in Hollywood, which is all about looks, 212 00:14:24,997 --> 00:14:28,357 all about this superficiality, that feeling, sort of, is exponential. 213 00:14:37,360 --> 00:14:41,440 With Donda's liposuction complete, Dr Jan Adams and his team are ready 214 00:14:41,440 --> 00:14:44,200 to move on to the next procedure. 215 00:14:44,200 --> 00:14:46,120 I've discovered that Donda not only 216 00:14:46,120 --> 00:14:49,080 was undergoing liposuction but, based on the surgical 217 00:14:49,080 --> 00:14:52,880 incisions, she was also having a beltectomy and this essentially 218 00:14:52,880 --> 00:14:56,040 is a tummy tuck around the entirety of the belt line. 219 00:14:57,520 --> 00:15:01,480 They are now halfway through her surgery and Donda has been under 220 00:15:01,480 --> 00:15:04,160 anaesthetic for three hours. 221 00:15:04,160 --> 00:15:07,040 In addition to the other procedures, Donda is also 222 00:15:07,040 --> 00:15:10,520 undergoing cosmetic breast enhancement, and this is a lot 223 00:15:10,520 --> 00:15:13,360 of surgery to happen all at once. 224 00:15:13,360 --> 00:15:16,760 The autopsy report shows that Donda was under anaesthesia for 225 00:15:16,760 --> 00:15:21,240 7.25 hours. This is a long time. 226 00:15:21,240 --> 00:15:23,120 The danger of being under anaesthesia 227 00:15:23,120 --> 00:15:26,560 for an extended period of time, it increases your risk of, say, 228 00:15:26,560 --> 00:15:28,800 blood clots as well as infection. 229 00:15:28,800 --> 00:15:32,440 It can also lead to excessive swelling and your recovery time 230 00:15:32,440 --> 00:15:34,000 is much longer. 231 00:15:37,760 --> 00:15:42,080 At 3:10 pm, Donda's operation is complete. 232 00:15:42,080 --> 00:15:45,240 She's wheeled out of surgery but is still unconscious. 233 00:15:48,400 --> 00:15:51,480 Normally, a patient is going to show some degree of responsiveness 234 00:15:51,480 --> 00:15:53,640 within an hour of the surgery. 235 00:15:53,640 --> 00:15:58,520 But by 4pm, Donda still hasn't come around from the anaesthetic. 236 00:15:58,520 --> 00:16:01,520 Her friend, Diana Pinkney, is waiting nervously. 237 00:16:03,240 --> 00:16:06,840 I was in another room and every now and then, 238 00:16:06,840 --> 00:16:12,120 I would go and I would peek in recovery and she was still asleep. 239 00:16:12,120 --> 00:16:14,080 Looking at the autopsy report, 240 00:16:14,080 --> 00:16:17,480 at approximately 4:30pm, Donda eventually comes around. 241 00:16:17,480 --> 00:16:20,160 She's described as groggy, 242 00:16:20,160 --> 00:16:23,200 both oriented to person, place and time. 243 00:16:23,200 --> 00:16:26,800 First thing she said was, "How do I look?" 244 00:16:28,640 --> 00:16:33,040 And...I said, "Are you serious?" 245 00:16:33,040 --> 00:16:38,680 And she said, "No, how do I look?" I said, "Girl, you look fabulous." 246 00:16:38,680 --> 00:16:40,640 She had an hourglass figure. 247 00:16:40,640 --> 00:16:44,200 She was so happy and her face lit up. 248 00:16:44,200 --> 00:16:48,440 I said, "See? See? Going through that pain, look what you got!" 249 00:16:48,440 --> 00:16:52,800 She may have been pleased by her new look but Donda is still at risk from 250 00:16:52,800 --> 00:16:57,800 complications of the anaesthesia, namely blood clotting and infection. 251 00:17:01,560 --> 00:17:03,080 6pm. 252 00:17:03,080 --> 00:17:07,120 It's now just three hours since the operation ended 253 00:17:07,120 --> 00:17:10,800 but Donda makes a surprising decision. 254 00:17:10,800 --> 00:17:15,040 She unhooks herself from monitoring equipment and leaves the hospital 255 00:17:15,040 --> 00:17:17,480 in order to recover at home. 256 00:17:21,600 --> 00:17:24,680 What I find extraordinary is that Donda was able to 257 00:17:24,680 --> 00:17:27,720 walk out of the hospital within three hours from waking up from 258 00:17:27,720 --> 00:17:29,720 this complicated surgery. 259 00:17:29,720 --> 00:17:32,680 I would have expected her to be in the hospital for several days, 260 00:17:32,680 --> 00:17:35,560 where her vital signs could have been closely monitored. 261 00:17:37,120 --> 00:17:38,960 She's taken home by her nephew, 262 00:17:38,960 --> 00:17:42,160 Stephen Scoggins, and her friend, Diana. 263 00:17:43,720 --> 00:17:46,960 When it was time to leave, I went in. 264 00:17:46,960 --> 00:17:52,960 She was laying there and I said, "Donda, let's go." 265 00:17:52,960 --> 00:17:57,280 And she said, "You ready?" I said, "No, are you ready?" 266 00:17:57,280 --> 00:18:00,440 And she said, "Yes. I want to go home now." 267 00:18:00,440 --> 00:18:04,120 Despite warnings from her surgeon, Dr Jan Adams, 268 00:18:04,120 --> 00:18:08,040 of the dangers of not recovering from major surgery in a hospital, 269 00:18:08,040 --> 00:18:11,000 she is adamant that she will leave. 270 00:18:11,000 --> 00:18:14,040 They agree to release her into the care of Scoggins, 271 00:18:14,040 --> 00:18:16,240 as he is a trained nurse. 272 00:18:16,240 --> 00:18:19,640 He has agreed to get all the medical equipment he'll need 273 00:18:19,640 --> 00:18:21,640 to monitor her recovery. 274 00:18:21,640 --> 00:18:26,880 It may have been that Donda's decision to not stay in the clinic 275 00:18:26,880 --> 00:18:29,720 and have the after-care that her doctor suggested 276 00:18:29,720 --> 00:18:34,160 was about just having that privacy, going back and having that privacy 277 00:18:34,160 --> 00:18:38,080 and not kind of exposing what she may have been slightly 278 00:18:38,080 --> 00:18:41,320 worried the press would find out about and make a big deal about. 279 00:18:42,840 --> 00:18:44,000 8:30pm. 280 00:18:44,000 --> 00:18:48,600 The group return to Donda's home in Marina del Rey. 281 00:18:48,600 --> 00:18:50,920 She's weak and tired. 282 00:18:50,920 --> 00:18:53,440 She was in a lot of pain. 283 00:18:53,440 --> 00:18:58,040 You know, once again, I had told her, "You're going to be in 284 00:18:58,040 --> 00:19:01,040 a lot of pain." 285 00:19:01,040 --> 00:19:04,720 Diana, and Donda's personal assistant, Nubia, 286 00:19:04,720 --> 00:19:07,920 get Donda out of bed and walk her to the bathroom. 287 00:19:09,680 --> 00:19:13,600 She has dressings on her incisions for liposuction on both the front 288 00:19:13,600 --> 00:19:15,760 and back of her body. 289 00:19:15,760 --> 00:19:17,960 Nubia and I took her in there. 290 00:19:17,960 --> 00:19:22,080 We stand her up and we were on both sides of her and, you know, washed 291 00:19:22,080 --> 00:19:24,880 her down, and she felt better. 292 00:19:24,880 --> 00:19:27,560 But I can see that Donda was complaining of chills, 293 00:19:27,560 --> 00:19:31,840 high fever, increased respiration and increased heart rate. 294 00:19:31,840 --> 00:19:35,040 It's possible that she has blood poisoning or septicaemia. 295 00:19:39,640 --> 00:19:45,120 Septicaemia occurs when a bacterial infection enters the blood stream. 296 00:19:45,120 --> 00:19:50,280 It can cause a serious drop in blood pressure called septic shock. 297 00:19:50,280 --> 00:19:54,680 Once it happens, multiple organs may quickly fail. 298 00:19:54,680 --> 00:19:59,360 Over 50% of people with severe septic shock will die. 299 00:20:05,600 --> 00:20:07,120 The morning after surgery. 300 00:20:08,960 --> 00:20:10,920 Following her cosmetic procedures, 301 00:20:10,920 --> 00:20:13,600 Donda is continuing her recovery at home, 302 00:20:13,600 --> 00:20:17,040 against the advice of her surgeon, Dr Jan Adams. 303 00:20:18,280 --> 00:20:21,800 She really should have been connected to equipment to monitor 304 00:20:21,800 --> 00:20:24,480 her vital signs and, without the ability to do that, 305 00:20:24,480 --> 00:20:26,680 her care-givers were basically in the dark. 306 00:20:29,600 --> 00:20:31,320 Vital signs are key factors 307 00:20:31,320 --> 00:20:36,120 in post-operative care and, without this, it increases risk and danger. 308 00:20:37,600 --> 00:20:40,400 But Donda insisted that she had a qualified nurse, 309 00:20:40,400 --> 00:20:42,280 her nephew, Stephen Scoggins. 310 00:20:42,280 --> 00:20:45,680 He's been attending to her during the night. 311 00:20:45,680 --> 00:20:51,160 She loved this guy, because she requested him to be with her, 312 00:20:51,160 --> 00:20:55,680 to take care of her. She turned down going to the medical centre. 313 00:20:55,680 --> 00:20:59,320 Donda turned that down because she had had a conversation with 314 00:20:59,320 --> 00:21:01,800 Scoggins and, you know, he was going to take care of her. 315 00:21:01,800 --> 00:21:04,280 He was there to take care of her. 316 00:21:04,280 --> 00:21:08,560 Scoggins promises he's getting the necessary medical equipment 317 00:21:08,560 --> 00:21:10,840 for her recovery at home. 318 00:21:10,840 --> 00:21:13,960 But so far, it has not been delivered. 319 00:21:13,960 --> 00:21:18,840 I tell Scoggins, "Where is the stuff you ordered for me? 320 00:21:18,840 --> 00:21:21,280 You ordered a hospital bed, you ordered some kind of chair 321 00:21:21,280 --> 00:21:24,640 so we could put her in the shower, that she could sit down and take a 322 00:21:24,640 --> 00:21:27,080 bath," but none of that came. 323 00:21:28,600 --> 00:21:31,160 The fact that she's suffering chills and a high fever suggests 324 00:21:31,160 --> 00:21:34,560 that she could be suffering from a post-surgical blood poisoning 325 00:21:34,560 --> 00:21:39,760 or a septicaemia. I can see that the surgeon, Dr Jan Adams, 326 00:21:39,760 --> 00:21:43,800 prescribed Donda a very powerful antibiotic, Keflex, 327 00:21:43,800 --> 00:21:45,960 and this is designed to keep an infection away. 328 00:21:45,960 --> 00:21:50,560 I also know that blood was drawn at autopsy for blood culture. 329 00:21:50,560 --> 00:21:53,040 The blood cultures came back negative 330 00:21:53,040 --> 00:21:54,920 so septicaemia can be ruled out. 331 00:21:57,310 --> 00:21:59,150 9am. 332 00:21:59,150 --> 00:22:02,790 Ten hours before her death. Donda is feeling worse than she 333 00:22:02,790 --> 00:22:05,830 did yesterday when she left surgery. 334 00:22:05,830 --> 00:22:08,830 Her friend, Diana, and assistant Nubia 335 00:22:08,830 --> 00:22:10,750 are doing their best to help her. 336 00:22:12,310 --> 00:22:14,230 I can see in the autopsy report that Nubia gives her 337 00:22:14,230 --> 00:22:16,390 Vicodin for post-operative pain. 338 00:22:16,390 --> 00:22:19,950 After a surgery like this, it would be normal for a patient 339 00:22:19,950 --> 00:22:24,830 to be suffering pain for several weeks and the recovery period would 340 00:22:24,830 --> 00:22:28,870 be long. It would be common to prescribe painkillers for this. 341 00:22:30,270 --> 00:22:31,230 9:30am. 342 00:22:31,230 --> 00:22:35,510 Stephen Scoggins packs his bag and tells Nubia and Diana, 343 00:22:35,510 --> 00:22:40,190 who have no medical training or experience, that he has to leave. 344 00:22:40,190 --> 00:22:43,150 You got it. He explains that they need 345 00:22:43,150 --> 00:22:46,630 to give her painkillers at 10am. 346 00:22:46,630 --> 00:22:49,270 I said, "You're leaving?" 347 00:22:49,270 --> 00:22:52,630 And he said, "Yeah. I have a baby shower." 348 00:22:52,630 --> 00:22:55,510 "OK, so the hospital bed, when is it coming?" 349 00:22:55,510 --> 00:23:00,110 "Oh, it'll be here today." I said, "Scoggins, I need everything." 350 00:23:00,110 --> 00:23:04,430 I said, "I need a thermometer. I need everything here." 351 00:23:07,070 --> 00:23:08,550 10:15am. 352 00:23:08,550 --> 00:23:13,950 Donda receives a call from Kanye, who's in London, to see how she is. 353 00:23:13,950 --> 00:23:17,470 Hello? Hey, Mama. 354 00:23:17,470 --> 00:23:22,590 Promptly after, Nubia and Diana also check to see if she's OK. 355 00:23:22,590 --> 00:23:25,630 I was like, "Well, how are you?" 356 00:23:25,630 --> 00:23:27,670 And she said, "My throat hurts." 357 00:23:27,670 --> 00:23:31,190 And I said, "I hear a little rattling in your chest. 358 00:23:31,190 --> 00:23:34,110 You didn't have that. What is going on?" 359 00:23:34,110 --> 00:23:37,550 What's interesting here is, not only is she suffering chest pain, 360 00:23:37,550 --> 00:23:40,070 but she also has a sore throat. 361 00:23:40,070 --> 00:23:43,030 40% of patients intubated during surgery 362 00:23:43,030 --> 00:23:45,830 suffer a sore throat afterwards. 363 00:23:47,510 --> 00:23:51,630 But, while a sore throat is common, it can also be a sign of a major 364 00:23:51,630 --> 00:23:56,470 problem. Within 48 hours post-op, the lungs are very susceptible to 365 00:23:56,470 --> 00:23:58,350 developing pneumonia. 366 00:23:59,950 --> 00:24:02,710 On examining the sections of the report addressing the lungs, 367 00:24:02,710 --> 00:24:05,910 I've discovered that Donda does have a pneumonia. 368 00:24:08,950 --> 00:24:12,710 Pneumonia is an inflammation in the lungs, in which the air sacs are 369 00:24:12,710 --> 00:24:14,870 filled with pus and other fluids, 370 00:24:14,870 --> 00:24:18,950 making it difficult for oxygen to reach the blood. 371 00:24:18,950 --> 00:24:23,910 This places an extra burden on the heart and, in extreme cases, 372 00:24:23,910 --> 00:24:26,670 can be fatal. 373 00:24:26,670 --> 00:24:29,190 But looking further, the medical examiner considers this 374 00:24:29,190 --> 00:24:32,510 pneumonia to be quite minimal and not the cause of death. 375 00:24:32,510 --> 00:24:34,470 But it certainly is a factor 376 00:24:34,470 --> 00:24:37,110 that could place increasing stress on Donda's body. 377 00:24:39,710 --> 00:24:42,150 11am. Donda walks to the kitchen. 378 00:24:42,150 --> 00:24:45,990 She feels weak and can barely stand. 379 00:24:45,990 --> 00:24:50,190 She tries to eat and drink something for breakfast but struggles. 380 00:24:52,990 --> 00:24:56,830 I heard Donda ask Nubia to get more Vicodin. 381 00:24:56,830 --> 00:25:00,070 And I'm like, "You wanted more Vicodin? 382 00:25:00,070 --> 00:25:03,110 Jesus Christ!" She said, "Well, I want something stronger." 383 00:25:03,110 --> 00:25:06,190 And, you know, I didn't know anything stronger than Vicodin. 384 00:25:08,230 --> 00:25:12,310 As lunchtime approaches, the medical equipment Stephen Scoggins promised 385 00:25:12,310 --> 00:25:14,230 still hasn't arrived. 386 00:25:15,910 --> 00:25:18,910 Diana continues to call him but he does not pick up. 387 00:25:19,630 --> 00:25:22,590 Donda kept saying, "Call Scoggins." 388 00:25:22,590 --> 00:25:26,390 No answer. Kept going to his voicemail, all day. 389 00:25:28,510 --> 00:25:30,070 2pm. 390 00:25:30,070 --> 00:25:33,910 Donda is now breathing heavily and is in pain. 391 00:25:33,910 --> 00:25:38,710 She's also perspiring and cold towels are pressed on her forehead. 392 00:25:38,710 --> 00:25:43,830 She was tired, she was sweating, and that's when I got the towel 393 00:25:43,830 --> 00:25:47,150 and I said, "Why are you sweating? What is going on?" 394 00:25:50,350 --> 00:25:52,670 I can see from the autopsy report that Donda was experiencing 395 00:25:52,670 --> 00:25:56,830 chest pain, shortness of breath, sweating and coughing. 396 00:25:58,390 --> 00:26:01,150 Although these can be symptoms of the pneumonia, they can also 397 00:26:01,150 --> 00:26:04,990 be seen in something that's much more fatal, a pulmonary embolism 398 00:26:04,990 --> 00:26:06,990 due to a blood clot. 399 00:26:08,510 --> 00:26:10,270 Immobility during and after surgery 400 00:26:10,270 --> 00:26:14,190 can cause a blood clot to form in the deep veins of the legs. 401 00:26:14,190 --> 00:26:16,510 If this blood clot breaks off, 402 00:26:16,510 --> 00:26:20,510 it will travel to the lungs through increasingly narrow blood vessels. 403 00:26:20,510 --> 00:26:24,790 Eventually, it will come to a vessel that it cannot get through and will 404 00:26:24,790 --> 00:26:26,870 block the blood flow beyond it. 405 00:26:26,870 --> 00:26:29,670 This is a pulmonary embolism. 406 00:26:29,670 --> 00:26:32,790 It obstructs blood flow from the heart to the lungs, 407 00:26:32,790 --> 00:26:35,030 often causing sudden death. 408 00:26:38,550 --> 00:26:42,870 Because she has elected to recover at home without monitoring equipment 409 00:26:42,870 --> 00:26:47,190 and with no nurse there, Donda is at increased risk 410 00:26:47,190 --> 00:26:50,270 of suffering a pulmonary embolism. 411 00:26:50,270 --> 00:26:53,350 Was this what suddenly killed her? 412 00:26:53,350 --> 00:26:56,110 It's concerning that Donda voluntarily left the hospital 413 00:26:56,110 --> 00:26:58,630 three hours following the surgery 414 00:26:58,630 --> 00:27:01,110 and therefore didn't have the proper medical supervision. 415 00:27:01,110 --> 00:27:05,350 Her death is still a mystery that I need to solve. 416 00:27:07,350 --> 00:27:10,910 2:30pm, five hours before her death. 417 00:27:10,910 --> 00:27:13,790 Donda is in bed, resting. 418 00:27:13,790 --> 00:27:16,230 Her nephew, Stephen Scoggins, a nurse, 419 00:27:16,230 --> 00:27:18,110 has been charged with her care 420 00:27:18,110 --> 00:27:22,510 but he left Donda that morning with friend Diana and assistant Nubia. 421 00:27:22,510 --> 00:27:26,910 So, you know, we got her up, walked her around. 422 00:27:26,910 --> 00:27:29,910 You're not supposed to lay too long and any doctor would tell you, 423 00:27:29,910 --> 00:27:32,710 "Move around, don't stay in that bed too long." 424 00:27:32,710 --> 00:27:36,710 Donda is at risk of suffering a potentially lethal 425 00:27:36,710 --> 00:27:40,430 pulmonary embolism caused by a blood clot lodging in her arteries. 426 00:27:40,430 --> 00:27:45,630 And without monitoring her vital signs, the risks are even greater. 427 00:27:48,150 --> 00:27:50,390 Although Donda is showing symptoms of a blood clot, 428 00:27:50,390 --> 00:27:52,830 and she's post-surgical and it puts her at very high risk, 429 00:27:52,830 --> 00:27:55,990 there's nothing in the autopsy report that suggests that there 430 00:27:55,990 --> 00:27:57,430 is an actual pulmonary embolism. 431 00:27:57,430 --> 00:28:00,710 She's in severe pain. Something went terribly wrong. 432 00:28:04,870 --> 00:28:08,430 3pm. The pain Donda is suffering is extreme 433 00:28:08,430 --> 00:28:12,830 and Nubia and Diana are getting increasingly concerned. 434 00:28:12,830 --> 00:28:15,670 I can see after her surgery that she was prescribed Vicodin, 435 00:28:15,670 --> 00:28:18,750 a very powerful painkiller, and it needs to be used with 436 00:28:18,750 --> 00:28:20,790 some degree of caution. 437 00:28:22,670 --> 00:28:26,230 Donda keeps asking for more Vicodin. 438 00:28:26,230 --> 00:28:29,870 Unsure whether to give her more, and with Stephen Scoggins 439 00:28:29,870 --> 00:28:34,790 uncontactable, they call Donda's cosmetic surgeon, Dr Jan Adams. 440 00:28:36,390 --> 00:28:37,670 Dr Adams. 441 00:28:37,670 --> 00:28:41,110 Dr Adams just asked that Nubia and I 442 00:28:41,110 --> 00:28:43,790 follow the prescription bottle. 443 00:28:43,790 --> 00:28:46,550 "Take this at this time." 444 00:28:46,550 --> 00:28:52,990 One Vicodin every 4-6 hours, along with the antibiotic. 445 00:28:55,790 --> 00:28:57,790 The key ingredient to Vicodin is hydrocodone. 446 00:28:57,790 --> 00:29:02,390 Hydrocodone is a synthetic opioid, very similar to morphine, 447 00:29:02,390 --> 00:29:05,790 and if it's used over a long period of time, it can become addictive. 448 00:29:05,790 --> 00:29:08,190 It can also cause overdose. 449 00:29:08,190 --> 00:29:13,390 Dr Adams prescribed 30 Vicodins and that's supposed to last you 450 00:29:13,390 --> 00:29:14,510 about a week. 451 00:29:14,510 --> 00:29:21,950 And when Nubia got the bottle, only ten was left, and that's not good. 452 00:29:21,950 --> 00:29:26,030 It seems that while Scoggins looked after her during the first night 453 00:29:26,030 --> 00:29:31,750 post-operation, Donda had taken more Vicodin than she should. 454 00:29:33,510 --> 00:29:38,950 4pm. Donda's friend and godmother to Kanye, 455 00:29:38,950 --> 00:29:41,510 Glenda Lee, arrives. 456 00:29:41,510 --> 00:29:46,350 After some food, Donda takes more Vicodin for her excruciating pain. 457 00:29:50,830 --> 00:29:55,390 6pm. Donda tries to get more rest. 458 00:29:55,390 --> 00:29:59,750 Following instructions given by Dr Jan Adams, Nubia and Diana have 459 00:29:59,750 --> 00:30:03,670 placed a pillow behind her knees and beneath her head, to alleviate 460 00:30:03,670 --> 00:30:05,670 the pain and help circulation. 461 00:30:07,670 --> 00:30:09,470 I said, "I'll be right back." 462 00:30:09,470 --> 00:30:13,510 She said, "OK. I'm gonna be fine." I said, "You holler if you need me." 463 00:30:13,510 --> 00:30:16,630 She said, "OK. I'm fine." She was calm. 464 00:30:19,110 --> 00:30:20,830 7:15pm. 465 00:30:20,830 --> 00:30:26,710 Nubia asks Glenda to go and check on Donda, as she's unusually quiet. 466 00:30:28,390 --> 00:30:32,750 Glenda goes in to see if she's OK. Donda? 467 00:30:35,830 --> 00:30:39,190 Donda! Donda, wake up, honey. Wake up! 468 00:30:39,190 --> 00:30:42,950 Diana! Nubia! Diana! 469 00:30:42,950 --> 00:30:45,630 Nubia! 470 00:30:49,470 --> 00:30:51,110 Do something. 471 00:30:51,110 --> 00:30:53,670 Do something! CPR! Do something! 472 00:30:53,670 --> 00:30:57,750 Nubia is like, "Dr West, Dr West, wake up! 473 00:30:57,750 --> 00:31:01,350 Dr West." We was just shaking her. Doctor, wake up! Wake up! 474 00:31:02,190 --> 00:31:04,510 She's not breathing. And I'm like, "Do CPR!" 475 00:31:07,310 --> 00:31:11,670 Nubia begins administering CPR while Glenda makes a frantic 476 00:31:11,670 --> 00:31:14,750 911 call at 7:35pm. 477 00:31:14,750 --> 00:31:19,310 She's not breathing. This is the recording. 478 00:31:19,310 --> 00:31:23,390 MAN: You're doing CPR? Ma'am, is she not breathing at all? 479 00:31:23,390 --> 00:31:26,110 She took her medications, she said she couldn't breathe. 480 00:31:26,110 --> 00:31:28,590 Ma'am, OK, so she's not... She's all clammy. 481 00:31:28,590 --> 00:31:32,470 Ma'am, she's not breathing? Can you get the ambulance here? 482 00:31:32,470 --> 00:31:35,470 The phone signal is poor... What did she say? 483 00:31:35,470 --> 00:31:37,310 ..making it hard for them to follow instructions. 484 00:31:38,310 --> 00:31:42,590 Your phone's cutting out. OK, is the person breathing? 485 00:31:42,590 --> 00:31:46,310 You couldn't get reception in the room so I grabbed my cell phone 486 00:31:46,310 --> 00:31:49,470 and I went to the hall and that's when I got reception 487 00:31:49,470 --> 00:31:52,590 and I called Dr Adams. And I said, "Donda is not breathing." 488 00:31:52,590 --> 00:31:55,750 He said, "Did you check for a pulse? Do you know how?" 489 00:31:55,750 --> 00:31:57,990 I said, "Yes! I know how to check for a pulse." 490 00:31:59,670 --> 00:32:04,190 7:45pm. Paramedics arrive on the scene. 491 00:32:05,390 --> 00:32:07,950 Donda is not responding. Donda! 492 00:32:07,950 --> 00:32:12,030 Nubia had lost it. And Glenda had froze. 493 00:32:12,030 --> 00:32:14,070 Glenda was froze. 494 00:32:14,070 --> 00:32:19,030 It's like time just stopped. It was... It was so weird. 495 00:32:20,350 --> 00:32:25,150 The paramedics are trying everything possible to bring her back to life. 496 00:32:25,150 --> 00:32:27,270 Clear! 497 00:32:38,830 --> 00:32:43,030 But at exactly 8:29pm, she is pronounced dead. 498 00:32:43,030 --> 00:32:46,510 Tragedy strikes music superstar Kanye West. 499 00:32:46,510 --> 00:32:51,270 His mother, a woman he calls his soul and rock, is dead. 500 00:32:51,270 --> 00:32:56,910 Kanye is 5,000 miles away in London when he hears the news. 501 00:32:56,910 --> 00:32:58,670 When Kanye got the news, I mean, it must have been 502 00:32:58,670 --> 00:33:01,550 absolutely devastating. You've got to imagine that he hasn't just 503 00:33:01,550 --> 00:33:05,390 lost a mother, he's lost his best friend and someone 504 00:33:05,390 --> 00:33:07,190 who was pretty much everything to him. 505 00:33:07,190 --> 00:33:10,230 It must have been an extremely tough flight home. 506 00:33:11,190 --> 00:33:14,670 I actually called Donda to check on her after the surgery 507 00:33:14,670 --> 00:33:18,470 and her assistant answered the phone, crying. 508 00:33:18,470 --> 00:33:23,470 And she told me and I just... I was just stunned. 509 00:33:23,470 --> 00:33:25,470 I can't tell you how I felt. 510 00:33:25,470 --> 00:33:30,030 It was such overwhelming sadness and shock. 511 00:33:30,030 --> 00:33:32,150 Shock. 512 00:33:32,150 --> 00:33:34,710 "How could this be?" 513 00:33:36,230 --> 00:33:40,630 You just realise how fragile life is, how tomorrow's not promised 514 00:33:40,630 --> 00:33:42,950 to any of us. And, no matter 515 00:33:42,950 --> 00:33:47,710 how big or grand your vision is for your life, that it could all leave. 516 00:33:49,110 --> 00:33:52,350 The funeral for Donda West was held on Oklahoma City 517 00:33:52,350 --> 00:33:55,150 on November 20, 2007. 518 00:33:55,150 --> 00:33:57,350 Around 1,000 friends and family 519 00:33:57,350 --> 00:34:01,590 mourned her death, as Kanye led the funeral procession. 520 00:34:08,320 --> 00:34:12,560 For Dr Hunter, the reason for her death just 24 hours after surgery 521 00:34:12,560 --> 00:34:15,040 is still not obvious. 522 00:34:15,880 --> 00:34:19,240 My examination of the paramedics' report, there's an observation 523 00:34:19,240 --> 00:34:23,560 that there was this black material present about her face. 524 00:34:23,560 --> 00:34:27,800 This could be vomited blood, which, if it is from stomach 525 00:34:27,800 --> 00:34:32,600 or intestinal bleeding, could be a symptom of a drug overdose, 526 00:34:32,600 --> 00:34:34,840 for example from Vicodin. 527 00:34:36,440 --> 00:34:40,720 The toxicology report states that there is 16mg of hydrocodone 528 00:34:40,720 --> 00:34:44,480 in her stomach and a slightly elevated amount in her blood. 529 00:34:44,480 --> 00:34:48,480 So did Donda die of an accidental overdose? 530 00:34:48,480 --> 00:34:52,240 This report shows that Donda did not have any internal bleeding 531 00:34:52,240 --> 00:34:55,640 and there was a slight increase in the hydrocodone in her blood. 532 00:34:55,640 --> 00:34:58,720 She is not dead from either a gastrointestinal haemorrhage 533 00:34:58,720 --> 00:35:01,200 or from the use of painkillers. 534 00:35:01,200 --> 00:35:04,120 What the paramedics saw that suggested to them a bleed within 535 00:35:04,120 --> 00:35:08,240 the stomach, the coffee-ground emesis, is likely just vomitous 536 00:35:08,240 --> 00:35:11,120 material that's dried on her face. 537 00:35:11,120 --> 00:35:15,720 But her combined symptoms of chest pain, shivering and vomiting brings 538 00:35:15,720 --> 00:35:20,240 up another possibility and this is backed up by clues 539 00:35:20,240 --> 00:35:21,960 within the West family tree. 540 00:35:23,520 --> 00:35:26,960 If I had have known what I know now, 541 00:35:26,960 --> 00:35:31,760 if Dr Jan Adams had have known, he wouldn't have touched her. 542 00:35:33,400 --> 00:35:36,000 This is one of the most complicated cases I've ever seen. Donda West 543 00:35:36,000 --> 00:35:38,920 had a number of conditions that, in and of themselves, 544 00:35:38,920 --> 00:35:42,360 did not cause her death but those conditions could put increased 545 00:35:42,360 --> 00:35:45,840 stress on her, particularly after a surgery like this. 546 00:35:45,840 --> 00:35:48,280 Now, when I look deep in the autopsy report, 547 00:35:48,280 --> 00:35:52,880 I think I'm finding the clue that's going to determine why she died. 548 00:35:54,840 --> 00:35:57,360 It states there's a history of heart disease within the West family. 549 00:35:57,360 --> 00:36:00,760 Donda's sister died two years previously of a heart attack 550 00:36:00,760 --> 00:36:03,520 and her brother has hypertension. 551 00:36:03,520 --> 00:36:06,560 With that family history, it increases the risk that she could 552 00:36:06,560 --> 00:36:10,920 also have heart disease and put her at risk of a heart attack. 553 00:36:12,480 --> 00:36:15,560 But this didn't put Donda off the idea of cosmetic surgery. 554 00:36:15,560 --> 00:36:20,280 In June 2007, she approached respected cosmetic surgeon 555 00:36:20,280 --> 00:36:23,360 Dr Andre Aboolian to see if he would operate on her. 556 00:36:23,360 --> 00:36:26,080 He refused unless she had further tests 557 00:36:26,080 --> 00:36:29,880 to ensure her heart was strong enough to undergo surgery. 558 00:36:29,880 --> 00:36:32,440 But she never followed through. 559 00:36:32,440 --> 00:36:37,600 Instead, she turned to a different cosmetic surgeon, Dr Jan Adams. 560 00:36:38,320 --> 00:36:41,320 I think when someone has decided on a course of action they believe is 561 00:36:41,320 --> 00:36:43,720 going to be the best way to solve their problem, 562 00:36:43,720 --> 00:36:46,960 and they become committed to that course of action, then actually, 563 00:36:46,960 --> 00:36:50,120 they don't really want to hear evidence to the contrary. 564 00:36:50,120 --> 00:36:55,000 The autopsy also reveals that Donda had an evaluation for an episode 565 00:36:55,000 --> 00:36:58,960 of left chest and arm pain in late 2007, at Cedars Sinai 566 00:36:58,960 --> 00:37:04,320 Medical Center, less than six weeks before her surgery with Dr Adams. 567 00:37:04,320 --> 00:37:06,680 Chest and left arm pain can indicate angina, 568 00:37:06,680 --> 00:37:09,160 a sign of severe heart disease. 569 00:37:09,160 --> 00:37:13,640 Donda did not mention this to her physician, Dr Adams, 570 00:37:13,640 --> 00:37:17,240 and this is a crucial omission. 571 00:37:17,240 --> 00:37:19,360 By hiding this information from her physician, 572 00:37:19,360 --> 00:37:21,560 she's actually putting her life at risk. 573 00:37:22,840 --> 00:37:25,560 Never lie to your doctor. Be upfront. 574 00:37:25,560 --> 00:37:28,960 I know, you know, plastic surgery - 575 00:37:28,960 --> 00:37:30,960 every woman wants to have plastic surgery. 576 00:37:30,960 --> 00:37:32,920 Every woman wants to be beautiful. 577 00:37:32,920 --> 00:37:36,080 But your health is more important than anything. 578 00:37:36,080 --> 00:37:41,000 Now Dr Hunter has the evidence he needs to unravel the mystery 579 00:37:41,000 --> 00:37:43,520 of Donda West's death. 580 00:37:43,520 --> 00:37:48,280 First, Donda should never have left the hospital so soon after 581 00:37:48,280 --> 00:37:50,080 a major procedure like this. 582 00:37:53,400 --> 00:37:56,240 Her vital signs needed to be followed and her condition 583 00:37:56,240 --> 00:37:58,520 also evaluated to see if there were any complications, 584 00:37:58,520 --> 00:38:02,080 and if those complications arose, there would be the care available 585 00:38:02,080 --> 00:38:06,080 to her to save her if need be. 586 00:38:06,080 --> 00:38:08,960 Secondly, Stephen Scoggins 587 00:38:08,960 --> 00:38:13,400 promised that type of nursing care but that didn't happen. 588 00:38:13,400 --> 00:38:15,800 She was left in the care of two friends 589 00:38:15,800 --> 00:38:18,160 who really had no nursing background whatsoever. 590 00:38:18,160 --> 00:38:22,560 She had had a conversation with Scoggins and, you know, 591 00:38:22,560 --> 00:38:27,240 he was going to take care of her. He was there to take care of her. 592 00:38:27,240 --> 00:38:30,320 And, to me, he failed her. 593 00:38:30,320 --> 00:38:35,800 Left alone with her friends, in her final minutes, Donda 594 00:38:35,800 --> 00:38:39,960 experiences chest pain, sweating, shortness of breath and vomiting. 595 00:38:39,960 --> 00:38:44,440 These, too, are key clues to what killed her. 596 00:38:44,440 --> 00:38:48,080 All of the symptoms that Donda displays suggest a heart attack 597 00:38:48,080 --> 00:38:50,520 and, buried deep within the autopsy report, 598 00:38:50,520 --> 00:38:53,000 we're seeing evidence of severe heart disease. She has 599 00:38:53,000 --> 00:38:57,280 anywhere from 50-70% narrowing of one of her coronary arteries. 600 00:38:57,280 --> 00:39:00,800 80% narrowing of a coronary artery is considered critical 601 00:39:00,800 --> 00:39:04,520 and those people can die suddenly and unexpectedly. 602 00:39:04,520 --> 00:39:09,920 Donda is just below that critical threshold but the increased stress 603 00:39:09,920 --> 00:39:14,400 on her body, the pain from her surgery, the blood loss, as well 604 00:39:14,400 --> 00:39:17,960 as the pneumonia that's developing in her lungs, it's my opinion that 605 00:39:17,960 --> 00:39:20,080 she died of a massive heart attack. 606 00:39:20,080 --> 00:39:23,640 Wake up! The surgery performed 607 00:39:23,640 --> 00:39:25,760 by Dr Adams was done by the book. 608 00:39:25,760 --> 00:39:29,480 It's my opinion that Donda West's underlying health issues 609 00:39:29,480 --> 00:39:33,200 combined with the stress from surgery is what caused her death. 610 00:39:35,680 --> 00:39:42,080 Dr Adams took a fall for something he knew nothing about. 611 00:39:42,080 --> 00:39:43,920 After walking off 'Larry King Live', 612 00:39:43,920 --> 00:39:46,960 Dr Jan Adams returns to defend himself. 613 00:39:46,960 --> 00:39:49,520 A lot of things being said in the press 614 00:39:49,520 --> 00:39:51,520 are certainly not accurate. 615 00:39:51,520 --> 00:39:55,840 How bad has your practice been affected by this publicity? 616 00:39:55,840 --> 00:39:57,920 Horribly. The coroner confirmed 617 00:39:57,920 --> 00:40:01,280 that Dr Adams was not responsible for Donda's death. 618 00:40:01,280 --> 00:40:07,560 Since 2009, a new California law, the Donda West Law, requires 619 00:40:07,560 --> 00:40:11,480 a patient to receive clearance from a doctor within 30 days 620 00:40:11,480 --> 00:40:13,800 before elective cosmetic surgery. 621 00:40:13,800 --> 00:40:17,200 A complaint was filed with the Nursing Board 622 00:40:17,200 --> 00:40:18,640 against Stephen Scoggins 623 00:40:18,640 --> 00:40:21,760 but, after investigation, it was dismissed. 624 00:40:21,760 --> 00:40:25,200 Following his mother's death, Kanye called off his engagement to 625 00:40:25,200 --> 00:40:29,720 Alexis Phifer. Kanye! 626 00:40:29,720 --> 00:40:33,560 Donda West's experience should serve as a cautionary tale to 627 00:40:33,560 --> 00:40:37,720 anyone considering similar surgery. All cosmetic surgeries come with 628 00:40:37,720 --> 00:40:41,840 risk attached and that risk can cost you your life. 629 00:40:45,520 --> 00:40:47,920 How would I like Donda West to be remembered? 630 00:40:47,920 --> 00:40:52,440 I would like her to be remembered as a woman full of life. 631 00:40:52,440 --> 00:40:57,720 Love, love, loved words and books and knowledge. 632 00:40:57,720 --> 00:41:03,240 Somebody who rang every drop of life that she could 633 00:41:03,240 --> 00:41:05,880 out of the life that she was given. 634 00:41:05,880 --> 00:41:07,440 And I'd like to think that... 635 00:41:07,440 --> 00:41:10,720 I'd like her to be remembered as somebody 636 00:41:10,720 --> 00:41:17,440 that had a vision for her child that was manifest beyond belief. 637 00:41:19,520 --> 00:41:23,360 Clearly, Donda's legacy is Kanye. 638 00:41:23,360 --> 00:41:25,760 'Nuff said, as they say. 639 00:41:28,920 --> 00:41:34,240 Kanye has rarely spoken of his loss in public but, in a radio interview, 640 00:41:34,240 --> 00:41:37,200 he reflected on the consequences of his fame. 641 00:41:39,880 --> 00:41:44,520 I feel like sometimes, if me and my mum never moved to Hollywood, 642 00:41:44,520 --> 00:41:46,960 that she'd still be here. 643 00:41:46,960 --> 00:41:51,080 Captions edited by Ai-Media ai-media.tv