Posted on 10/04/2007 8:14:34 PM PDT by Huntress
Darrie Eason, a 35-year-old single mother from Long Island, N.Y., underwent a double mastectomy after she was told she had breast cancer. But after the surgery, she learned the unthinkable -- she never had cancer at all.
"I remember the words, 'You don't have breast cancer, you never did,'" Eason said today on "Good Morning America."
The news was stunning.
"I have a philosophy that you have to laugh to keep from crying, so I try to laugh as much as I can," Eason said.
A state report blames Eason's mix-up on a former technician at CBLPath lab who mislabeled her biopsy results. The report said the technician "cut corners."
But in a statement, CBLPath Medical Lab said, "The New York State Department of Health found no systemic problems and no deficiencies were cited against the lab."
Eason filed a lawsuit last month against the laboratory, seeking an undisclosed sum. Her attorney, Steven Pegalis, said they hope to learn whether or not the error was a system failure.
"Was that an isolated act by one individual who never before made a mistake?" Pegalis asked on "GMA. "I doubt it. It's possible. But we'll try to find out."
Be Sure to Get a Second Biopsy Eason isn't the first person to fall victim to a devastating, preventable medical mistake. Studies show that between 40,000 and 100,000 Americans die every year from improper medications to errors on the operating table.
Dr. Robert Wachter, author of "Understanding Patient Safety," said, "That would be the equivalent of a large jet crashing every single day in the United States."
Wachter said there have to be backup systems that anticipate human error. "You have to create technologies that anticipate that humans will blow it from time to time and catch the errors before they kill someone," Wachter said.
In the meantime, the woman whose biopsy slide was mixed up with Eason's did indeed have cancer, and was not told immediately.
"I don't know who," Eason said of the other woman. "I don't know when they found out. I don't know if they know."
Eason said she learned a valuable lesson from her terrible experience.
"Second opinions are good but second biopsies are better."
Ping!
Precursor indication of what we’re in for with the inevitable socialized medicine in this country-except that those who actually need the surgery won’t be able to get it.
Never mind, dear, with the money you’ll get you’ll not only have the best cancer-free implants, but you’ll be such a rich woman that you won’t be single for long.
Winning is not even the situation here. She will probably bankrupt the company cleaning them out and the hospital, radiologist and everyone who was involved.
From the story, it sounds to me like she’s only going after the lab that made the error.
The idea of getting two biopsies is stupid. Not needed for something that rarely occurs. I doubt seriously that this idea is going to become a standard of care. Two surgical procedures are not needed. There will always be human error. But two biopsies are not needed. Maybe a better system of checking and rechecking to make more sure the specimen is labled and processed correctly.
A little super glue can clear that right up.
If we get socialized medicine, you won't get the operation. You will just wait in line.
Something else to consider if we get socialized medicine. Doctors will get public employee protection which means lawsuits will be subjected to statutory limits. Those lawyers used to winning multimillion dollar lawsuits will be lucky to win $100,000. With the gravy train shut off for trial lawyers they will turn on a dime and get their congressional patsies to outlaw socialized medicine.
Just reporting the facts before they happen.
That probably means her boss was overworking her.
I'd also guess the laboratory budget contains "cost savings" and "productivity" bonuses for the supervisors, which are great incentives to cut corners.
It's basic greed and cheapness, and now some low-level worker gets blamed for it.
She may have great legs.
I hope she wins, too...but we breast cancer survivors don't look on ourselves as "mutilated."
I guess the Docs were just stupid as hell then, right?
No disprespect intended here and I can understand your attitude and applaud it with you being a breast cancer survivor, but this woman is NOT a breast cancer survivor, she is a woman who WAS multilated because her breast were removed needlessly and I am sure she feels multilated and a horror that is beyond description.
It is one thing to do what has to be done to survive, another to have body parts removed simply because some dumb a** made a mistake.
Gov’t healthcare (Hillary-care) would have saved this woman.
I think I acknowledged that. I said I hope she wins.
There are just tons of men out there who think breast cancer survivors are "mutilated."
Horrifying story, no doubt.
Though had it been a man having his nuts cut off in a cancer misdiagnosis... It would have been material for Comedy Central.
Funny that.
Wow....prayers up for your wife...and you.
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