Record Review

The below is being published for transparency and has already been published on my personal Facebook page  (with a few edits here for clarity and formatting).  I am speaking on behalf of myself as an individual.  While I am the listed as acting Vice President of The Hedgehog Project, this is not an official statement from the organization, as the organization has been dissolved due to the actions outlined below.


I had held off on making a public statement for two reasons:

I don’t want any to feel that I have ignored things, however, so:

The first go of the Record Review with Dr. Kim did not go as intended. It had been launched as a collaboration between Dr. Kim and company I had co-incorporated, called The Hedgehog Project (THP). THP was to be a non-profit organization focused on supporting those with chronic illness thru their diagnostic journey, providing education and mental health support. THP was still in its founding stages, with no founding documents or any agreements in writing. It existed only on paper, and I have found that even that was improperly done by my co-incorporator.

My business partner and I felt that partnering with Dr. Kim was fully within our goals. We had already launched the petition when he separated from Mercy, and felt this was a logical next step. The petition was our way of giving voice to the patients who could no longer receive care from someone as compassionate and knowledgeable as Dr. Kim. I drafted and promoted the petition, just as I created all the content and the website (which I own personally) for the Records Review, with knowledge, consent, and consistent encouragement from my business partner.

I can’t go into details for legal reasons, but suffice it to say…my business partner changed her mind at some point along the way, and rather than simply speaking to me about it, chose to destroy everything she could while I was in the hospital for testing.  While none of the accounts used for THP were owned by the company (they were owned by and paid for by me personally), she had been granted access by me, as we were business partners. She used that access to lock me out of the email I owned, altered the website I owned (the forms on this very website), gained unauthorized access to another email of mine and the change.org account I owned, and also shut down the petition.

As all of these were legally owned by me, and not the company, I have fully regained access to everything, and barred my former business partner from it all. The petition is also back up.


I also immediately filed for dissolution of the non-profit due to the actions and statements made by my former business partner on behalf of the organization. They were unacceptable, even more so when coming from a charitable organization.  These actions are not what any of those involved with the formation of The Hedgehog Project had set out to accomplish.  Our goals were to assist individuals in gaining access to care, not prevent it.


I sent a Cease and Desist notice informing my former business partner that the company is being dissolved, and that she is to confirm deletion any files obtained during her unauthorized access, specifically noting the personal information submitted by everyone for the Record Review and those who had signed of the petition.  Each person registered with the State of Missouri as either an officer or board member was also provided with this notice, as the actions taken by my former business partner were done as official acts of the organization.  I have no other way to contact these individuals, as my partner had simply listed her friends and family on the official paperwork and told me after the fact.  This is not how decisions are made in nonprofit organizations, and again shows that this was not a functional organization.


They have all chosen to ignore this letter.  At the time of writing, it has been a full week with no response from any of them.


The Secretary of State and Attorney General’s office of the state of Missouri, as well as police departments in my local jurisdiction and in Missouri, have informed me that this is a civil matter. I have consulted an attorney, and found that it would be exorbitantly expensive to pursue due to all involved, but have hired the attorney to send another letter to my business partner, again asking for the files to be deleted for your privacy.


Protection of your information is also one of the reasons I filed to dissolve the company, and 

the process was started the day the unauthorized access occurred.


While the information provided on the forms was not “sensitive” or “confidential” in medical terms, it was incredibly personal. I do not want anyone thinking I do not grasp that. I want every person who submitted a form to feel safe.  My business partner had no legal right to your information, and I am truly sorry that the actions she took to hurt me affected so many.


I have worked with the Attorney General’s office of Missouri to get an option to present to you in regards to your information.

That solution is for anyone concerned or affected by this data breach to file a Consumer Protection complaint against The Hedgehog Project.

This can by done via https://ago.mo.gov/app/consumercomplaint or by calling 800-392-8222.

I have also taken additional steps in the relaunch.


I hope that all of this helps clear the air. I hate that the actions of one spiteful person has impacted so many, and delayed their access to information vital to their care. If you have any further concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to either myself or Dr. Kim.

Thank you all for your understanding. 

Maureen Hagen

For information for submitting records for review, please visit the links above.