A mother endured ‘aggressive’ chemotherapy and said goodbye to her family after being given just 15 months to live – only to discover she never had cancer.
Lisa Monk, from College Station in Texas, went to hospital for a CT scan at the end of 2022. after experiencing stomach pains that she suspected was a kidney stone.
At her appointment, the test showed she had two kidney stones but also flagged a mass on her spleen, which was removed in January last year.
The mother-of-two claimed the organ was sent to three different pathology labs before being tested at a fourth lab where she claims it tested positive for an aggressive form of blood vessel cancer.
The 39-year-old said she was told about her terminal cancer diagnosis at a check-up appointment following her spleen surgery and claims she was given an ‘optimistic’ 15 months to live.
The higher education worker was then referred to a cancer hospital and after attending her first appointment in March 2023 was hospitalised immediately to begin her first round of chemotherapy.
After losing all her hair, Lisa underwent another round of ‘very aggressive’ chemotherapy, which left her with ‘silvery skin’ and vomiting.
But at a routine hospital appointment in April, she claims this is when she was told that she never actually had cancer and the first pathology report was wrong.
Furious that doctors ‘congratulated’ her rather than apologising for their alleged blunder, Lisa says she has been left in debt and with her ‘insides cooked’ by the unnecessary chemo.
Lisa said: ‘It was diagnosed as a super rare, super terminal type of cancer called clear cell angiosarcoma.
‘I had gone to see my doctor as a follow up from my surgery [when I was given the news].
‘I was with my mom and he asked if I was okay to get bad news in front of her. This is when he told me it was cancer. I went into shock. The diagnosis was horrible and [they] told me it was terminal.
‘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].
‘After I dropped my mom off at home I went down to the river and prayed because I wasn’t ready to go home and tell my husband.
‘When I didn’t come home immediately, he found out where I was and thought someone had kidnapped me.
‘He came to find me and I had to tell him the news was bad and then I had to go home and tell my two kids.
‘I didn’t tell them at this point that it was terminal or I only had 15 months, I just told them it was bad but I was going to try to fight it.
‘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.’
Lisa said the initial report that had diagnosed her with terminal cancer had been passed onto the hospital but due to their policy they had requested her spleen to carry out their own tests.
After her organ was tested, she claims the hospital’s test had come back clear stating she never had cancer but said the hospital did not check their report until the April appointment, which she claims was a month after they had received it.
Lisa claims this meant she endured chemotherapy treatment when she didn’t need it and is now dealing with the repercussions of this as she never had cancer.
Lisa said: ‘I saw the nurse practitioner first and she just asked me about my symptoms and she was scrolling on the computer while she was talking to me.
‘All of sudden she just stops talking and has this look on her face. She turned to me and looked completely horrified and told me she needed to get the doctor and then ran out of the room.
‘She left me alone for about 15 minutes and the doctor came back in. He said a lot of medical lingo to me and then told me I didn’t have cancer.
‘I was confused as they were acting like it was a bad thing. I just thought [if I didn’t have cancer] it meant the chemotherapy was working.
‘The doctor then told me that I never had cancer. [At that moment] I looked like I had cancer and I felt like I had cancer as I was vomiting, I was sick and my skin was silvery because of the chemotherapy.
‘The doctor then congratulated me, which really bothered me. At the time I was in shock but now I feel the more appropriate response would be ‘I’m sorry’.
‘I asked for a copy of their pathology report and I found a hallway to call my husband and tell him the news.
‘The first pathology test I had back from the lab said I had cancer and I started treatment based on this report but then the hospital ordered my spleen to conduct their own pathology test as it was their policy to do so.
‘When I got home, I listened back to the recording of my doctor’s appointment as I was able to record them in case I missed any information and it dawned on me about the date they got their [the hospital] pathology report back. I looked at it and it was dated a month prior to my appointment.
‘I had chemotherapy during this time and they could have told me a month earlier and I would have avoided the second round of chemotherapy if they had bothered to read their own pathology report.
‘[After being told I didn’t have cancer] I had to wait a couple of days and then it was confirmed to me that it was not cancer after having a discussion with all the doctors.
‘In the end they determined that my spleen was going to rupture which is why it had the mass on it. It was just blood vessel activity and no cancer in it.’
After being told she never had cancer, Lisa said chemotherapy treatment was stopped immediately.
And, despite being relieved by the good news, a year on Lisa still feels ‘angry’ for what her and her family have been put through.
Lisa said: ‘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.
‘I was writing goodbye letters and letters to the grandchildren I would never meet and the weddings I would never attend.
‘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.
‘A year on from what happened to me, I’m angry. They ruined my health and my insides are cooked.
‘I grieve for my kids for having to even go through something like this in their lives where they thought they were going to lose their mother.
‘I can’t take this away from them. I know on paper it only looks like a few months of my life but it felt like a lifetime. ‘
Sarah Carter is a health and wellness expert residing in the UK. With a background in healthcare, she offers evidence-based advice on fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being, promoting healthier living for readers.
