Stephanie Tesoiero, a 50-year-old mother of three from Long Island, New York, discovered a marble-sized lump in her breast in 2002.
Dr. Paul Fisher of the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Care Center in Stony Brook, New York, concluded there was “no evidence of malignancy” after reviewing her mammogram. Dr. Fisher ordered no further tests, according to Tesoiero. The doctor told her to return in one year for a follow-up. But the lump did not go away.
When another doctor reviewed her tests 16 months after the initial mammogram, he reported that the lump was as big as a golf ball and determined that it was, in fact, breast cancer.
If she had a complete work-up when she first visited Dr. Fisher complaining of a “lump”, such as an ultrasound of the breast or a biopsy, she could have been spared so much pain, aggravation, and most of all, cancer.
“Why didn’t they find it the first time?” Tesoiero asked. “Why didn’t they go the extra step and do a sonogram?”
Following a mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiation treatments, the cancer went into remission…for a while. That is when Tesoiero decided to sue her negligent doctor.
The trial lasted two weeks and consisted of six women approving the multi million dollar award.
“I just wanted him to admit he made a mistake,” Tesoriero said of her doctor. “Doctors do make mistakes.”
Unfortunately, the cancer has spread to her bones. The prognosis is uncertain, but she must now undergo chemotherapy treatments weekly for the rest of her life.
Just because someone is a doctor, does not mean they do not make mistakes (or admit to them, for that matter). Mrs. Tesoiero has spoken out to warn other women. She states, “If you have any suspicions, any doubts, speak to the doctor and ask for another test.” Sometimes, you have to follow your intuition. It is always best to seek another opinion when it comes to your health. Perhaps if she went to another doctor, he would have ordered further testing, but the doctor she initially went to, should have been more thorough, giving her the care she deserved. Not only had she endured pain, anxiety and a mastectomy, she now has cancer throughout her bones, and three children will be without their mother. All because of the carelessness of a doctor she put her trust in. Is this justice?
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