The producer and director of an HBO documentary about his mother's medical errors at a Milwaukee hospital went to Capitol Hill last week to show clips of the film. Three nights later, Steve Burrows' mother, Judie, died at 79 after an 11-year struggle to survive.
Steve Burrows is a Canadian mystery writer, journalist, and past recipient of a “Nature Writer of the Year” award from BBC Wildlife.
Three nights later, Steve Burrows' mother, Judie, died at 79 after an 11-year struggle to survive. Friday, the Milwaukee medical examiner's office said her death was due to complications of repeat hip surgeries. Burrows starred with his mother in the documentary "Bleed Out" about her care at Aurora Healthcare in Milwaukee.
After completing an English degree at York University, Burrows moved to Hong Kong where he served as editor of the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society magazine and contributing field editor for Asian Geographic. He currently lives in Oshawa, Ontario. In 2014, Burrows published his debut novel, A Siege of Bitterns.
After the documentary aired on HBO in December 2018, Burrows received thousands of Facebook messages from people he described as having very similar stories with just the name of the facilities and exact injuries changed. About 10 million people have watched the documentary.
Three nights later, Steve Burrows' mother, Judie , died at 79 after an 11-year struggle to survive.
Burrows starred with his mother in the documentary "Bleed Out" about her care at Aurora Healthcare in Milwaukee. He was a comedy director in Hollywood when Judith Burrows' 2009 hip surgery went horribly wrong.
Burrows has put on two dozen screenings in the last six months, including at the Wisconsin state capitol and the hospital rating organization Leapfrog Group's annual meeting, as well as universities and other organizations.
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The longtime Milwaukee schoolteacher, who had about $200,000 saved for retirement, lost everything. She and her insurance, along with Medicare and ultimately Medicaid, were billed for more than a decade of treatment.
Jim Skogsbergh, CEO of Advocate Aurora Health, told USA TODAY "our heartfelt condolences go out to the Burrows family.". "Steve’s love for and devotion to Judie speaks to the kind of person she was," Skogsbergh said in a statement.