Inmate says medicine mix up nearly killed her

LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WISH) - A Tippecanoe County woman is in the hospital suffering from injuries that she says feel like severe burns. She says nurses at the county jail messed up and gave her the wrong medicine.

Lekeia Brown, 24, said even though she's doing time for not paying child support, no one deserves what she got.

"I was dehydrated, I was dizzy, I was getting my migraines back and I kept complaining, complaining about it and then by the fourth week, this is what I looked like," said Brown.

Brown’s eyes are swollen shut and she has blisters are all over her face and body, which she says feels like it's on fire.

"Everyday I let them know what was going on. The symptoms kept getting worse, and worse, and worse, and worse," Brown said.

All because, she says, some nurses at Tippecanoe County Jail kept giving her the wrong medicine for her seizure disorder and three times the normal dosage. Now she's suffering from a severe allergic reaction -- choking, gagging and she can barely breathe.

Brown says nurses at the jail ignored her cries for help. She said she felt like she was going to die.

"That was it. That this place is really gonna be the death of me like everybody else," she said.

24-Hour News 8 called the Tippecanoe County Jail several times Thursday but all we got was a general recording.

Brown said even though she's an inmate, she deserves compassion.

"I'm also a human being and I deserve to be treated like one too," she said.

Brown is now suffering from Stevens Johnson Syndrome, a rare disorder resulting from the reaction.

She's now afraid she may never see again. She's considering legal action and seeking an attorney.