Charles Johnson IV and his wife Kira were filled with joy when they learned they would be welcoming their second son, Langston, into their family. Kira had been a picture of health throughout her pregnancy, and the couple had no reason to anticipate any problems as they prepared for the birth of their child at Cedars-Sinai Hospital.
Charles described Kira as an incredible woman—versatile, multilingual, adventurous, and compassionate. Their love story was one for the books, filled with travels, adventures, and a surprise beachfront proposal. They were overjoyed when they learned about their first pregnancy and cherished the adventures they shared with their firstborn.
However, their happiness took a tragic turn on April 12, 2016, when Langston was born without complications. Initially, everything seemed fine, and Kira held her newborn son in her arms. But shortly after the birth, Charles noticed something amiss: blood in his wife’s catheter. He alerted the medical staff to the issue.
What happened next was a nightmare. Despite Kira’s rapidly deteriorating condition, medical staff did not treat her with the urgency the situation required. Charles witnessed his wife in excruciating pain, losing color, and experiencing severe internal bleeding. For hours, he tried desperately to get help, even pleading with nurses who dismissed her as a non-priority.
It took nearly seven hours and until midnight for a doctor to order an internal scan of Kira. By then, it was too late. Kira was rushed into surgery, but she did not survive. Her last words to Charles were, “Baby, I’m scared.”
The tragic cause of Kira’s death was not an underlying health condition but the result of delayed medical intervention. Her story sheds light on the stark racial disparities in maternal healthcare. Black women like Kira face a significantly higher risk of maternal mortality, often due to unequal treatment and delayed responses to their medical needs.
Charles became a single parent, raising their two sons alone, and transformed into an activist fighting for women’s rights in maternal healthcare. He founded the non-profit “4Kira4Moms” to give a voice to those affected by similar incidents.
Charles aimed to hold the medical system accountable for negligence and discrimination and to ensure that no family experienced the pain of losing a loved one due to preventable circumstances.
Though his home continued to be filled with joy, laughter, and cherished memories, the void left by Kira’s absence remained. Charles vowed to honor her memory by striving for change in the healthcare system so that no other family would suffer such a devastating loss.
