Maureen Stevens

Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach Post: On Thursday (Oct 4, 2 days later), Dr. Jean Malecki - the county health department director .. - called (Maureen Stevens) at the house in suburban Lantana.  (She) had gone home for a short rest.

We think it's anthrax, Malecki told her.

Maureen Stevens: (1:59) I’d been at the hospital all morning - and we were constantly asking what it was - the timing - this still just really upsets me.  

They called me and said they had the diagnosis - they knew what was wrong with Robert and she said it’s Anthrax - which just floored me. 

I didn’t know a lot about it but I knew it wasn’t good. 

Then she said ‘Unfortunately’ she said,  ‘the media knows about it - somebody informed the media - that they knew before I did.  So  this - for some reason - has always irritated me.  

The nurses were very nice - they seemed to pick up how serious it was before the ... I ... I spoke to Dr Bush - I said is this you know .. ahr can ca-can he .. I was trying to find out whether he could get better or was it so dire? 

(He)  said ‘Well, there’s always a possibility.’ 250 

But he .. at that moment I needed it .. I mean he must have known that I needed because I'm sure he knew very well what that disease did.

Home

Palm Beach Post: Newspaper photographers took pictures of the handwritten note (Maureen Stevens) taped to the front door telling the kids where she was. There were top-level officials everywhere: deputies, FBI .. CDC.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution:  Stevens' home on quiet Massachusetts Avenue in Lantana, a neighborhood of modest bungalows .. was cordoned off by yellow tape as investigators descended on the house to take hundreds of samples of soil, household items and anything else that might harbor anthrax.

Maureen Stevens:  We couldn't go home. 

Palm Beach Post: (T)hen the family got the hospital page..:  Hurry. 

(They) were ushered to the private room 

Maureen Stevens: Water and tissues, I should have known.

Dr Larry M. Bush: On the third hospital day, (sic?) despite aggressive medical treatment .. the patient had an asystolic cardiac arrest and died.

Maureen Stevens (recalling, Feb 26, 2003): We were getting near the retirement years. We were planning to do things. We wanted to go back to Paris. We wanted to do so much, and that's all been taken away, and his children have had so much taken away. You know, no walking down the aisle with their father...