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Justice for Cairo: Winnie Palmer hospital accused of 'not seeing Black people as people' after newborn's death

Former patients and critics of Winnie Palmer Hospital in Orlando, Florida, have lashed out against its practices and flooded the internet with complaints

WWE employee Cornell Gunter and his fiancée welcomed a child into the world, but the good news was soon followed by a rather disturbing tragedy when it emerged that their son Cairo had passed away while in hospital. Now, former disgruntled patients and critics of Winnie Palmer Hospital in Orlando, Florida, have lashed out against its practices and flooded the internet with complaints.

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MEAWW previously reported how Gunter had chronicled what happened in a series of tweets. He said his son was fighting for life as the nurses showed negligence, because of which the baby was born with "no heartbeat & didn’t have oxygen for 8 mins which led to his current brain injury." There was an outpouring of support on social media, with people tweeting using the hashtag #JusticeForCairo.

Gunter works for WWE’s Content Innovation Lab and worked on the filming of the Boneyard match for 2020's WrestleMania, according to Wrestling Inc. On April 18, Gunter tweeted to his followers to keep his son and family in their prayers. He followed it up by saying, "Thank you all for the love & prayers. My baby boy is a fighter & he’s gonna make it out of here." He then added this tweet - "Somebody is happy to see daddy," complete with a video of a tender moment between father and son.

However, Gunter announced on April 22 that Cairo had lost his life. Gunter was absolutely distraught over the same and recounted the details of the same, through an emotional Twitter thread. 

Netizens ripped the Orlando Health Winnie Palmer over its negligence, with some claiming the hospital did not care for "Black mothers and Black babies." "This is disgusting. The American healthcare system and its workers (yes, doctors and nurses) DO NOT SEE BLACK PEOPLE AS PEOPLE. That’s a period on the day, in case you missed it. #JusticeForCairo," one tweeted.

"A Black newborn died because @OrlandoHealth medical staff didn't believe his Black parents when they insisted their baby was in distress. An all-too-common story of how #RacismKills. @OrlandoHealth must be held accountable. Praying for Cornell, his fiancé & #JusticeForCairo," another added.

"All too often this is the story of black mothers and black babies. this is the entire reason I’m getting into birth work. we HAVE to change the narrative. #JusticeForCairo my prayers to the family as they go through these devastating times," a third commented.

Disgruntled former patients also flooded Yelp with complaints against the hospital. "I arrived at 12:30 am for my 1 am induction. The induction process didn't even begin until 5:30 am," one wrote. "It took over 5 tries for them to get a vein for my IV.  It was extremely painful and instead of trying to comfort me, the nurse told me she would leave so I could compose myself which seemed very patronizing."

"What's the big hype with Winnie Palmer? This place is terrible. Waiting to be admitted for 14 hours in triage. 'No rooms available,'" another complained.