She told us her crusade started when her friend received emergency surgery for kidney stones that rapidly turned into a very near death experience. She told us more about that event - and what has happened since then:

In October of 2023 - this was Leila Peyrefitte as she lay intubated, in an induced coma fighting for her life.

She got here through what her friend Audrey Wallace says is a total lapse in care after a surgery to remove kidney stones:

Audrey Wallace, Healthcare Transparency Advocate
"Unfortunately, there was no post - operative care. So that means that nobody checked on her. And she almost died because of the fluid buildup in her throat, which is very typical after anyone has had anesthesia."

"And Jules, she would have been dead if I was not there because it was, I was the one who woke up and found her in that state, sounded the alarm and that is how she was saved."

And, she had to endure one more indignity:

Audrey Wallace, Healthcare Transparency Advocate
"Leila almost died, and they're pressing me to pay right then and there when I'm beside myself, not even knowing if this woman is going to survive."

"They are the ones who put her into that, I already took care of (payment for) the procedure she was there for, now this life saving procedure. They're on top of me to hurry pay that bill."

"And she's still in a coma. Intubated."

But, she survived and she might have left it there as so many do - but then this conversation happened:

Audrey Wallace, Healthcare Transparency Advocate
"She spoke with someone and was sharing her near-death experience, and the man had just lost a few months ago, his 21 year old granddaughter, to a similar procedure at the Houston Memorial Hospital."

"And with tears in his eyes, he said, Miss Leila, please don't let it go. And if I ever had any doubt as to how I was going to proceed, and I'm getting goosebumps telling you that that's solidified it for me that I had to do something."

And what she's doing is advocating for healthcare reforming accountability- starting wiht her own case:

Audrey Wallace, Healthcare Transparency Advocate
"Because my aim and objective is really to improve the healthcare system and to make sure this doesn't happen to anyone, but Belize Healthcare Partners has refused to grant me a meeting."

Jules Vasquez
"Since you went public with this in November, has their tone changed?"

Audrey Wallace, Healthcare Transparency Advocate
"Well, I wouldn't know because nobody has responded."

"And to this date, we've never had anybody from Belize Healthcare Partners sit down with us and explain what could have gone wrong. Worse than that, we have requested to get the medical records and they have denied us and told us that that is the policy of the hospital."

Jules Vasquez
"You can't access your own medical records?"

Audrey Wallace, Healthcare Transparency Advocate
"Leila cannot access her own medical records."

But the fight is not just against this one private hospital:

Audrey Wallace, Healthcare Transparency Advocate
"Because it was never about the hospital. It was something bigger than that. It was for us to demand accountability and to improve the healthcare system in this country for everyone."

Jules Vasquez
"What has that experience been like since going public?"

Audrey Wallace, Healthcare Transparency Advocate
"Jules, it has been shocking. The amount after I did that, after I went public and received so many emails, phone calls, talking about their own issues of medical negligence and people feel so helpless. I can't even explain how many tears people have shed when they called. Well, here's an interesting one. We're talking about people from all walks of life, from society to the regular Joe."

And now Wallace wants to change that- by empowering the public to make complaints:

Audrey Wallace, Healthcare Transparency Advocate
"Step one is to file a medical complaint. The Belize Medical Council. This is the body that is responsible to investigate these cases. They cannot do their jobs if they don't receive a formal complaint. The formal complaint is very simple. You have to file an affidavit. You don't have to go to Angelus Press and buy a piece of paper that has "affidavit" typed on it. You can take a white piece of paper, hand write or type it up. Make sure there is a name, address, a contact number. Explain the basics of your case. Sign it. And here's the most important thing. It must be witnessed by a commissioner of the Supreme Court. Prior to this, things I didn't even know that existed. But there is a list."

"They are lay people and they are all over the country. When you're finished, you take your little letter and you take it to the address on Blue Marlin Boulevard and you drop it off. That is where the Belize Medical Office is."

"If we do not make complaints, they can't act. And this is a simple thing. If it is that the Medical Council receives in one year ten complaints against a particular doctor, I think they have reason to look into that."

And, even as hospitals shoot up all across the city - there's no oversight or accountability:

Audrey Wallace, Healthcare Transparency Advocate
"The most important thing that I'm aiming for is to get legislative change. Do you know that the private hospitals have no oversight? The Ministry of Health, they go in and they are able to assess whether or not a place is fit, but on what basis? They do not have the legal backing to be able to go into any hospital. And so I think we need a legislative change immediately to give them the teeth, to be able to do their jobs."

"Nobody has oversight over these people unfortunately, and too many of us are afraid to speak up. I really, really hope that we can take this seriously and hold these medical professionals and facilities accountable."

Jules Vasquez
"Why did you choose to depart from the status quo and go public with an issue which for people in your position, these things are usually handled privately?"

Audrey Wallace, Healthcare Transparency Advocate
"Jules, I hope never to go to the experience that I felt that particular night and to watch it unfold in front of you, to see the complete disregard for a human life. In my opinion."

"Jules, I will stay on this every month and I will report back to the people. I've never done any kind of advocacy work to this level, but I'm not going to give up on this one, because too many people have been victims of medical negligence and they feel helpless."

"It's heart wrenching when you read some of the stories that they shared with us. Heart wrenching because we've spoken to them and they cannot finish two sentences without breaking down with a real heart wrenching cry."