ForumGarden

NEW YORK — A Long Beach, Long Island woman got the bad news that she had breast cancer. She underwent a double mastectomy and then was told the lab made a mistake and she didn't have cancer.

Darrie Eason is a 35-year-old single mother who is now suing.

Click here to read about Five Breast Cancer Myths You Should Know and Why

Her attorney says Eason was the victim of a mix-up at the the CBLPath medical lab in Rye Brook. Eason has filed a lawsuit against CBLPath in State Supreme Court in Mineola last month seeking an undisclosed sum of money.

A state report blames the mix-up on a technician who admitted cutting corners while labeling tissue specimens.

CBLPath chief executive William Curtis said he was familiar with Eason's case but could not speak about any of his company's patients because of federal privacy laws. He said the doctor who signed off on Eason's diagnosis, no longer works for the company.

The technician responsible for the mix-up, also is no longer with the company.

Attorney Steven Pegalis of Lake Success says people must be able to trust a medical lab.

Ugh... that's so terrible! I can only imagine what that woman is going through.... the physical pain from the surgery and the psychological/emotional pain as well. Just terrible.

I hope, through whatever amount of money she receives, that's she's able to live a very, very comfortable life and heal from her physical and mental scars.

As for the doctor and technician.... what do you do? What is the appropriate course of action? What's the proper punishment? This gets to be a very gray area for me. I think losing their jobs is great, but it doesn't seem like enough. Yet, "an eye for an eye" type thinking truly only leaves the whole world blind.

Sadly, I think the more advanced we become the higher at risk we are for making such terrible mistakes. The emphasis in healthcare is how fast it can be done and with as little manpower as possible. People are often grossly underpaid, as well. I know exactly how that feels every day at my job. I do the job of 3 people and I always know that there is more to be done, but I keep plugging away at it because not many people want to do it. My point is not to whine, but to show that it can't always be blamed on one or two people. Yes, the technician and doctor made the most obvious mistakes, but it's the whole system, I feel, that is at fault. Healthcare is becoming less and less personalized and people are given less and less of the proper attention they require for accurate diagnosis. Meanwhile, doctors and nurses and nurse's aids are given greater and greater case loads. It's a very vicious cycle.

Very sad indeed. It is always wise to get a second opinion when you have such a diagnosis. Along with having the test done again.

Very sad....but hopefully she gets enough money to buy an even better pair! and the shirts to show them off!