Sunrise peered onto a chilly morning four months ago when Christian Gordon arrived at an outpatient surgery center in Hilton Head with her three children. She released her youngest, 3-year-old Owen Fields, into the care of a pediatric dentist.
Owen arrived seemingly healthy that day, Feb. 8, with no known allergies, weighing 32 pounds. His dentist planned to remove four front teeth and place six crowns.
A medical team put Owen under general anesthesia and began the procedure. It took just over half an hour.
Outside, sitting in her car with her other two children, Owen’s mother considered what to cook for dinner that night, something soft for him like mashed potatoes and peas. Periodically, her phone lit up with text updates about his progress. Everything was going well.
When Owen arrived in a recovery room at 8:54 a.m., the dentist noted he was crying and trying to pull the oxygen mask from his face.
But he soon struggled to breathe. He went into respiratory distress.
Then cardiac arrest.