Our mother, Esther Winckler, died March 5th, 2000 following elective hip replacement surgery and 15 days of well-documented medical neglect at Chilliwack General Hospital, British Columbia. From the very beginning, there were questions surrounding her death. Two years and two months later, we received a Judgement of Inquiry from the Coroner's Office that substantiated our family's concerns. There was excellent and comprehensive coverage in The Vancouver Sun newspaper summarizing the events. Yet the official medical response to the Judgement of Inquiry has been mixed. While the RNABC and new Fraser Valley Health Authority took a refreshingly open stand, working with our family to find answers and implement change, the College of Physicians & Surgeons did not feel the case warranted going past Peer Review to disciplinary action or any follow-up practice recommendations whatsoever. This was a great disappointment to us as we had hoped that taking the spectre of litigation out of the equation would open up the possibilities for frank dialogue and disclosure. For our family’s part, we have been absolutely overwhelmed by a new program that was initiated following our mother’s death called the Acute Care Geriatric Nurse Network (ACGNN) founded by RNABC clinical nurse specialists Marcia Carr and Phyllis Hunt. It is a collaborative group of 12 Clinical Nurse Specialists in Geriatrics, Orthopedics, and Rehabilitation who receive funding, provide the learning opportunities, and support the Network which has now grown to over 2,000 Registered Nurses and Licensed Practical Nurses. Read more in the December 2004 issue of Nursing BC and in the December 2, 2004 Vancouver Sun. We are very grateful for their efforts and feel that this is truly a legacy to our mother, herself a lifelong educator.