The family of a 14-year-old girl has accused doctors of permanently paralyzing their daughter after multiple surgeries around her spine.
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Kyla Barton was a keen Softball player before she attended several surgeries at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Barton was diagnosed with a ganglioneuroma back in September 2023. Ganglioneuromas are rare tumors that usually start in automatic nerve cells.
According to the Daily Mail, Barton's medical team decided the best course of action would be a series of surgeries to remove the rare tumor. The team allegedly came to this decision after multiple scans, an angiogram, and a biopsy.
The clinic scheduled three procedures. During the second, doctors reportedly removed some bone and tissue along with the tumor. Before the third surgery, the medical team wanted Barton to get up and 'show mobility.' Sadly, when Barton sat up, she said she had lost all feeling from the waist down.
The Family Have Filed A Lawsuit Against The Clinic
Barton's family has filed a lawsuit against the Mayo Clinic in light of Kyla's condition earlier this month. According to PostBulletin, the lawsuit alleges the then 13-year-old "Walked into Mayo Clinic, but rolled out in a wheelchair, paralyzed from the waist down."
The lawsuit also claims that the Mayo Clinic, Dr. Peter Rose, and Dr. Mohammed Karim owe the family an amount "far exceeding $75,000." It continues that Rose's plan put Barton at high risk because of the nature of her spinal problems. The Lawsuit also accuses Rose of not implementing a plan to protect her spine or stabilize Barton's thoracolumbar region.
Per the Daily Mail report, James Lowe, a former neurosurgeon, said the removal of bone and tissue ultimately weakened Kyla's spine. The outlet also explained that the Mayo Clinic had issued a statement. The statement reportedly states that the January complaint is inaccurate and Kyla's treatment was ''thoughtful and appropriate.' The statement adds, 'Unfortunately, the risk of paralysis is a known complication in complex spinal tumor surgeries even when the care team is among the most experienced in the world.'
The lawsuit concludes that the botched operation has altered Kyla's "Privacy and Dignity." The suit also explains that the paralysis "is permanent and without expectation of meaningful recovery in the future."
