(WSVN) - A South Florida woman let her family know how she wanted her funeral to be before she passed away. Months later, she can’t be buried or cremated because no death certificate has been signed. It’s why her relatives turned to Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser.
Sydney had called us about her mother.
Sydney Sydnor: “My mom was a very fun-loving, outgoing type of person, always laughing.”
She showed us pictures of Sadene. In every one, no matter her age, she had a smile on her face.
Sydney Sydnor: “Lots of smiles on the bright side of everything.”
Then, life took a turn that would challenge anyone’s outlook.
Sydney Sydnor: “She was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had a lump in her left breast.”
But even in the painful treatments, Sadene continued to spread joy, laughing when she rang the bell after chemo, dancing when she finished radiation.
But then a new form of cancer arrived to torment Sadene.
Sydney Sydnor: “A blood cancer, which apparently was caused from all the chemo and radiation.”
She fought, but in July, she passed away.
Sydney Sydnor: “I don’t know how these things are done.”
Sydney, who dyed her hair pink in honor of breast cancer awareness, pauses in grief and frustration because her mother’s body is still at the funeral home.
Sydney Sydnor: “We still have not gotten a death certificate signed.”
The funeral home director tried to get the hospital’s doctor to sign the form.
Sydney Sydnor: “Whoever the doctor was who needs to sign off on the death certificate.”
Sydney tried, even went to the hospital to find the doctor.
Sydney Sydnor: “I broke down, but I told them the story. The woman tells me that the doctor’s not there anymore.”
Weeks passed. Four months passed.
Sydney Sydnor: “If the doctor doesn’t work there anymore, then why isn’t there someone else who can handle a signature?”
But you cannot cremate someone without the death certificate, and so the mother they loved so much is being kept in a refrigerator at a funeral home.
Sydney Sydnor: “A lot of pain and suffering happening right now. Just because we don’t have her ashes.”
We have to get this done for you, Sydney. But, Howard, where is the law on this?
Howard Finkelstein, 7News legal expert: “The law is clear. First, the attending physician at the time of death has to sign the death certificate and send it to the funeral director, and then it goes to the state to be entered into the public records. They have five days to do this. If it’s not done, notify the Department of Health. They will contact the doctor and if they refuse to cooperate, they can file a complaint against their medical license. But in reality, nothing will happen to the doctor.”
Who is to blame? Complicated.
The hospital said the doctor did sign the death certificate. The funeral home director said he didn’t get it.
But at the same time, the state’s electronic death registration system was hacked, and everything had to be done by hand.
The doctor signed the death certificate again in August, but again, the funeral home did not get it.
We started contacting everyone involved, and that did it.
Sydney Sydnor: “You called and we got the ashes and the death certificate.”
There is no joy in getting a loved one’s ashes, but now Sydney has her mother’s urn in her home and some ashes in a locket around her neck.
Sydney Sydnor: “I feel like part of it is because we were always together. So at least I feel like she’s still with me.”
Sadeen is gone, but Sydney knows what she would say to her about her battle to get her remains.
Sydney Sydnor: “I feel that she would be proud of us for finally getting it done and trying to do everything that we could to honor her wishes, which were to be cremated.”
Going through the worst time of your life and then facing a battle like Sydney and her family faced. Glad it’s cleared up for them. I would not normally do puns on a story like this, but Sydney wanted me to. So, feel like you’ve lost your spirit? Want to restore some joy in your life? Let us come up with a heavenly solution for you.
With this Help Me Howard, I’m Patrick Fraser, 7News.
CONTACT HELP ME HOWARD:
Email: helpmehoward@wsvn.com
Reporter: Patrick Fraser at pfraser@wsvn.com
Miami-Dade: 305-953-WSVN
Broward: 954-761-WSVN
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.