BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Two years later, the fight for justice for Demi Dominguez and Malakhi De Leon continues.
Their family meets every night in what they call their “war room,” to discuss new ways to win justice for their loved ones. Dominguez’s family told 17 News they plan to sit in on Friday’s joint sunset review oversight hearing of the Medical Board.
“It’s just I guess a place where the senators and legislators kind of get together and really look over the medical board and I believe the osteopathic board, just to see what they can do to make better change and see what they are, what they are doing right and what they are doing wrong and then just trying to make the community a better place and the board a better place,” said Xavier De Leon, Demi’s fiancé and Malakhi’s dad.
Over the weekend the family received support from Sen. Melissa Hurtado, who was aware of Demi’s story from a campaign the family put together. The campaign had more than 2,500 letters written and mailed to Sen. Hurtado’s office on behalf of Demi. The family says Sen. Hurtado will be sitting in on the sunset hearing because she wants to help the community of mothers and babies in Bakersfield.
“She is trying her hardest to fight for the community [and] for mothers and babies, to bring accountability to the Medical Board,” said Demi’s mom Tracy Dominguez. “To bring awareness, what needs to be changed, and how hard it is for families to fight on their own, and it has been very hard for us, we have had to push every paperwork through, we have had to stay on top of it, we’ve had to make calls, we’ve had to make our own research and the medical board, a lot of changes need to be made.”
The family says their goal, a goal shared by Sen. Hurtado, is to bring accountability to the medical board so that they can bring accountability to all doctors.
