in fact, the military flags still fly on the front porch of his home in bellville.ast weekend. he lives an hour and a half down from houston and lives within yelling distance of the local hospital. but none of that was enough when he started feeling sick and couldn't get the medical care he needed to survive. this was u.s. army veteran daniel wilkinson on an emergency room stretcher shortly before he died. >> he loved his country. he served two deployments over in afghanistan. came home with a purple heart. and it was a gallstone that took him out. >> reporter: last saturday his mother rushed him to bellville medical center, just three doors down from their home. but for wilkinson, help was still too far away. >> i do labs on him, i get labs, and the labs come back. i'm at the computer, and i have one of those oh crap moments. >> reporter: er doctor hasan kakli treated wilson and found he had gallstone pancreatitis, something they were not able to treat. >> if the stone doesn't resolve today, that fluid just builds up, backs up into the liver, backs up into the panc