A woman from the US state of Texas endured a harrowing ordeal after she learned that she was undergoing intensive chemotherapy for a cancer she never had. Lisa Monk, 39, underwent successful surgery to remove a mass from her spleen during her initial treatment for suspected kidney stones in 2022.
Monk sent her spleen to three different labs to be tested before finally being sent to a fourth lab, where it tested positive for a terminal form of cancer, called clear cell angiosarcoma. “It was a blood vessel type of cancer found in the spleen and told me that the most optimistic thing he could say was to give me 15 months [to live]," Monk revealed in a video.
Journet of Misdiagnosis
With only 15 months to live, Monk began an aggressive chemotherapy regimen, enduring the physical and emotional toll of the treatment. She underwent rounds of therapy, experiencing hair loss, vomiting, and other debilitating side effects.
“My oldest son took it the hardest. My little girl was very good at hiding her feelings but I found out from her teacher she was getting overwhelmed about it at school," she was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail. However, things turned south when she learned that she was mistakenly diagnosed with a rare and terminal form of cancer.
In a heart-wrenching turn of events, Monk’s world was upended during a routine appointment in April, when she learned that she never had cancer at all. The pathology report, upon further scrutiny, was found to be inaccurate. Recalling the moment of revelation, Monk described a mix of shock and disbelief as her doctor delivered the news. The shocking realisation that she had endured grueling treatments unnecessarily left her shaken.
“I looked like I had cancer and I felt like I had cancer," she remarked, reflecting on the toll the chemotherapy had taken on her body. Further exacerbating the situation, Monk discovered that the pathology report indicating her misdiagnosis had been available to the hospital before her second round of chemotherapy. Had the report been properly reviewed, she could have avoided unnecessary treatment and its associated hardships. After being told she never had cancer, Lisa said chemotherapy treatment was halted.
“Financially we’re still paying medical bills. Cancer is expensive and I couldn’t get any of my bills dismissed. Just the emotional trauma too. It was a very dark time," Lisa said. She said she was writing goodbye letters and letters to the grandchildren she thought she would never meet. “I also still looked like I had cancer. I was bold and did not appear to be well. It was a daily reminder that it was something we had all lived through," she added.
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