Chelsea Oesterle

Chelsea was the starting center for her high school team and end of freshman year became a target of severe bullying by older group of girls that resulted in a planned mob attack after two years of relentless bullying/cyber-bullying. Chelsea quit basketball and we removed her from the high school. She admitted to turning to vodka secretly to cope with anxiety/depression having no idea it would take her life so young. She wanted to get healthy and clean and sought medical help but was sent home. Stigma played a major role from that point on until her tragic death after six weeks of hospitalization. This advice came from a young doctor to get her to another team who would see past the addiction and save her young life. We sadly sent her to the wrong hospital. I now know that other transplant surgeons would have transplanted her in the time frame to save her life. Her death was senseless and preventable. I now speak in high schools and other venues on the topic of addiction, bullying and the six month rule that was wrongly applied to her young life.Chelsea admitted to turning to vodka secretly to cope with anxiety/depression having no idea it would take her life so young. She wanted to get healthy and clean and sought medical help but was sent home. Stigma played a major role from that point on until her tragic death after six weeks of hospitalization. This advice came from a young doctor to get her to another team who would see past the addiction and save her young life. We sadly sent her to the wrong hospital. I now know that other transplant surgeons would have transplanted her in the time frame to save her life. Her death was senseless and preventable. I now speak in high schools and other venues on the topic of addiction, bullying and the six month rule that was wrongly applied to her young life. Her story will soon be in the Boston Globe, as well. We were also contacted by Dateline, Lester Holt for story of addiction/liver disease in young people.