On the evening of February 19, 1994, Gloria Ramirez, a 31-year-old mother of two, was rushed to the emergency room at Riverside General Hospital in Riverside, California. Gloria complained of an irregular heartbeat and shortness of breath. On the way to the hospital, Ramirez was hooked up to a ventilator and given an intravenous infusion. By the time she arrived at the hospital, she was barely conscious, her speech was sluggish, her breathing was shallow, and her heart rate was fast