WASHINGTON DC: Alice Tapper, Jake Tapper's 15-year-old daughter, stated she nearly died from appendicitis last year after doctors made a mistake in their diagnosis. In a recent op-ed for CNN, Alice explained that she was admitted to the hospital after experiencing ‘severe abdominal pain’ and a fever, which led her parents to inquire about the possibility of appendicitis. However, doctors ruled out the possibility, and instead deduced she had a viral infection.
Alice wrote, “I got sicker and my skin started turning a pale green. As Monday turned into Tuesday, I was only given Tylenol for my pain. My mom asked the doctors why I couldn’t get a sonogram to see what was happening inside my abdomen; they said it wasn’t needed. My dad asked why I couldn’t get antibiotics; the doctors said for a viral infection they could do more harm than good. My parents kept pushing for a gastroenterologist who might have more insight about my condition to evaluate me, but one never came.”
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Alice claimed that the "lack of recognition I received from the hospital" caused her to feel "helpless" and "alarmed." “I was not being heard; when I described to the doctors how much pain I was in, they responded with condescending looks,” she remarked. Eventually, the well-known broadcaster took a stand and called the hospital's administration, demanding that any imaging be performed for his daughter. She was rushed into emergency surgery when an ultrasound revealed she had a perforated appendix that was seeping deadly fluid into her internal organs.
She wrote, “I had sepsis and we would later learn I was going into hypovolemic shock — which can cause organs to stop working. That night was the scariest night of my life,” adding that she remained in the hospital for an additional week "bedridden with unpleasant drains" in her body after leaving the intensive care unit. “I could barely walk. I didn’t recognize the helpless, hunchbacked, green, exhausted girl I saw in the hospital mirror,” she remarked.
Tapper wed Jennifer Marie Brown, a former Planned Parenthood employee, in 2006. Together with their two kids, Alice and Jack, they live in Washington, DC. At only 12 years old, Alice has a picture book called 'Raise Your Hand' published. According to The Sun, the book encourages young girls to stand up and use their voices on various issues. Meanwhile, after having an appendectomy at a different hospital a few months later, Alice's health has subsequently "returned to normal." “I still can’t believe this happened to me and I don’t want it to happen to anyone else,” she added.