![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/20260112_115944-rotated.jpg\")
As Montefiore nurses went on strike starting Jan. 12, a rally sign called out the nonprofit\u2019s CEO for earning more than $16 million per year. Photo by Emily Swanson<\/p>\n
Teresa Gonzalez already had health challenges, but Esteban believes her real troubles began when she started using an over-the-counter product called MediHoney,<\/a> after past nurses recommended it to alleviate skin abrasions, although Montefiore disputes this claim. <\/p>\n Esteban was unaware that MediHoney had been recalled by the Food and Drug Administration the month before.\n<\/p>\n The manufacturer, Integra LifeSciences, \u201cidentified packaging failures related to the MediHoney Wound and Burn products that could lead to a breach in the sterile barrier. Use of product with a breached sterile barrier could lead to patient infection,\u201d according to the FDA.<\/p>\n Though it remains unclear whether the product Teresa used was actually contaminated, Integra LifeSciences reported 11 serious injuries related to MediHoney Wound and Burn products as of December 19, 2025, according to the FDA website.\u00a0<\/p>\n Esteban said he never would\u2019ve bought the product if he\u2019d known about the recall.\n<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s upsetting, because it was preventable,\u201d he said.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n According to Esteban, the family sought treatment for Teresa just blocks from home at Montefiore, but the problem was not easily determined. His mother had developed new wounds on her legs and feet, but the hospital discharged her, Esteban said.\u00a0<\/p>\n At the end of February, he was notified of the FDA recall and informed Montefiore, but he said the hospital did not take thorough action to determine the problem and test for various bacteria.\u00a0<\/p>\n When Teresa was hospitalized again in April, doctors determined that she still had an infection but discharged her, according to the family. In May, Teresa began having seizures and respiratory problems, and at one point, she stopped breathing. A 911 dispatcher instructed Esteban on CPR to save his mother\u2019s life.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI swear to God, I didn\u2019t know what to do. I was just panicked and losing my mind,\u201d he said. \u201cHer life was in my hands.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Teresa was revived and transported again to Montefiore, but the hospital declined to treat her \u2014 which Esteban believed was in retaliation for the family\u2019s complaints.\u00a0 <\/p>\n A Montefiore customer service specialist later told the family that the hospital had followed normal procedure in cases of overcrowding and that EMS, not the hospital, initiated the move. Nonetheless, the ambulance brought Teresa to Jacobi, even though it was further away.<\/p>\n At both Jacobi and Montefiore, Esteban said his mother was left unattended and unclean. He shared with the Bronx Times graphic photos of Teresa\u2019s legs and bedding covered in waste, with her legs wrapped in bandages.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThey basically abandoned my mother and left me alone here to deal with some severe wounds on her legs,\u201d he said. \u201cVery easily, she could have died because of the mismanagement of this whole situation.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n In a May 22 letter responding to the Gonzalez family\u2019s complaints, a Montefiore customer service specialist apologized for a \u201ccommunication breakdown\u201d in February, as well as a \u201cmissed opportunity to provide more education and support regarding the MediHoney recall and discussions regarding goals of care and advanced directives,\u201d including end-of-life plans.<\/p>\n The specialist said the hospital had reviewed Teresa\u2019s case and determined that MediHoney did not cause Teresa\u2019s severe urinary tract infection. But Esteban and his family believe otherwise and still blame the institution for failing to properly test and diagnose her.<\/p>\n \u2018Dysfunction\u2019 in the hospitals\u00a0<\/p>\n Teresa\u2019s ordeal in two Bronx hospitals left his family worried for the state of hospital care in the borough.\u00a0<\/p>\n Esteban said Jacobi\u2019s ninth floor \u201creeked of urine and feces\u201d and that he saw many nurses scrolling on their phones.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \u201cThey let her sit there with the bed saturated with urine and feces, and the bandages getting soaked with that mixture of bacteria. It\u2019s just bad,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m not looking for perfection \u2026 but this is someone who needs help, is already struggling.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Since Teresa was discharged from Jacobi on May 21, Esteban has resumed 24\/7 in-home care of his mother. He said she has now recovered and is constantly surrounded by family, which provides some peace of mind.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s part of our culture. We don\u2019t put family in facilities,\u201d he said.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Esteban said that while there are some great professionals at Jacobi and Montefiore, the overall hospital care system seems to be in \u201cdysfunction.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n He said he wants the public to know about what his mother went through when her life was on the line. The family is currently exploring the possibility of legal action against both hospitals.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a dangerous situation,\u201d Esteban said. Though his mother suffered, \u201cIt\u2019s not too late to help somebody else.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Reach Emily Swanson at\u00a0eswanson@schnepsmedia.com<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0(646) 717-0015<\/a>. For more coverage, subscribe to our\u00a0newsletter<\/a>\u00a0and follow us on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>,\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and Instagram!<\/a><\/p>\n