Documents state - Kylee Gilman v. Edward Ryan, MD and Giving Hope LLC, “having amicably settled this matter as between them, [all parties] hereby stipulate and agree to entry of the attached order to dismiss this litigation…” The words “as between them” mean that Kylee will never be able to discuss the lawsuit. Therefore, no one will know who was guilty and the grounds of the settlement. However, it is evident that Gilman was paid for her silence.
Gilman’s complaint was against Edward Ryan, a physician licensed to practice medicine in Canada, and Giving Hope LLC, an egg donor agency located in Idaho but doing business throughout the United States. The complaint claimed that Dr. Ryan and Giving Hope were engaged in the business of circumventing and/or violating Canada’s Assisted Human Reproduction Act - which prohibits the sale of human eggs.
Giving Hope and Dr. Ryan’s business performed in vitro fertilization procedures in Canada using eggs purchased from young women in the United States who traveled to Canada to have their eggs harvested. Then the women were paid once they returned to the US.
In early 2011, Gilman responded to an advertisement that was placed on Giving Hope’s website. After Gilman received notice that a family had picked her as a donor, Gilman was instructed not to mention to anyone the reason for her trip or that she was being paid for her eggs.
Gilman flew to Canada for various treatments that helped to stimulate her egg production and get her body ready for the egg retrieval process.
Kylee reported to Giving Hope on November 10 that she had a “whole lot of pain” in her abdomen. On November 11, Dr. Ryan performed the egg retrieval and harvested forty-five eggs. As her complaint states, “she was therefore at immediate risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), a serious medical emergency.”
On the same day, Gilman boarded a flight to return to Florida. Dr. Ryan informed Kylee that he too was flying to Florida that same day and would be available by phone should she need him. Gilman became extremely sick on the flight, stating to Eggsploitation, ”I was throwing up on the jetway. I was throwing up on the airplane. I was throwing up in between flights. I remember having to lie down on the airport carpet. It’s gross even thinking about it, but I was just that sick.”
The following day, a friend of Gilman’s contacted Dr. Ryan to relay how bad Gilman was feeling. Dr. Ryan advised that she didn’t need to go to the hospital and should drink Gatorade and take her prescribed pain medication. Later, Gilman’s friend called 911, and she was taken to the Jacksonville Mayo Clinic and diagnosed with severe OHSS that resulted in a cerebrovascular accident -a stroke.
Giving Hope paid Gilman $5,500 for her eggs. Gilman’s civil complaint charged that as a “direct and proximate result of the negligence” of Dr. Ryan and Giving Hope, Kylee suffered severe OHSS, a stroke, paralysis, pleural effusion requiring a chest tube to drain the fluid, and severe abdominal distention requiring an abdominal drain. She asked for damages, “in excess of $75,000.”
