I have not yet received the Tulare County Coroner's report, which details Ms. Lubben's overall physical health, blood alcohol level, and any other substances that were present in her system at the time of her passing, but the direct cause of death is cardiovascular failure via pulmonary embolism, causing cardiac arrest.
And contrary to the claims of conspiracy theorists, the coroner has determined that her death was neither a suicide nor a homicide.
A pulmonary embolism (PE) is a blockage in the pulmonary artery, which supplies the blood to the lungs. PE is a general term referencing a series of diseases and clinical syndromes which are caused by various emboli (endogenous and exogenous) blocking the pulmonary arterial system, whose clinical symptoms are various.
Her family and associates say that Shelley Lubben had no known heart or lung problems. She was receiving medical care but had not been prescribed any medication to treat cardiovascular issues. She did suffer from gastric issues, and had been prescribed Nexium (esomeprazole magnesium), a proton pump inhibitor that blocks acid production in the stomach and is used to treat stomach and duodenal ulcers, gastroesophageal reflux disease.
Shelley Lubben was only 50 years old; she was sleeping, not exerting herself -- what might have caused her sudden death?
Although her cause of death has been determined to have not been an overdose, as was originally stated by the 9-1-1 responders, long-time drug and/or alcohol abuse, and withdrawal, are likely elements.
Shelley had been hospitalized days earlier (on the night of Feb. 4) suffering from withdrawal.
Chronic alcohol abuse can cause alcoholic cardiomyopathy (ACM), which can lead to congestive heart failure or pulmonary embolism.
ACM is a kind of disease that has typical hemodynamic change, symptoms, signs and imaging findings of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), but its symptoms can be released or cured after 4-8 weeks of giving up drinking. If Shelley Lubben had stopped drinking, it was for far less time than that -- less than one week.
And alcohol abuse is also linked to DCM.
It should also be noted that pulmonary complications due to drug abuse are common.
 |
| Shelley Lubben (1968 - 2019) |
Shelley Lubben, the controversial anti-porn crusader and founder of the Pink Cross Foundation was discovered dead on the morning of Feb. 9, in her cramped trailer in Lemon Cove, Calif. She was 50 years old.
After examining Shelley's remains, and inspecting the scene, 9-1-1 responders told the man who found her, and later informed Shelley's father and brother, that she had passed due to an apparent overdose.
There were three active restraining orders against Ms. Lubben at the time of her passing, a warrant was expected to be issued for her arrest in a criminal threat case, she was being sued by creditors, and had been named in a wrongful death action.
Lubben's scandal-plagued Pink Cross Foundation was shuttered in January 2016.
