A woman was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer three years ago, and her family prepared for the worst.
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As reported by PEOPLE, after an MRI in 2023, Mary Crowley was told by doctors she had stage 4 metastatic breast cancer.
"We automatically went into planning mode," said Mary's daughter, Lizzie. "We sold the family home [in Scotland], which [my parents] both loved. And my brother moved to Scotland from England ... to look after [them]."
Her Husband Pushed for a Second Opinion on the Breast Cancer Diagnosis
Mary's husband, a former general practitioner, insisted that his wife seek a second opinion.
That would be good advice, as Mary's diagnosis would later be changed to stage 1 breast cancer. Her family filed a complaint, which was upheld by the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO). But tragically, Mary's husband took his own life in 2024.
"My lovely husband took his own life, I believe, due to the stress of my cancer and all the upheaval of moving and trying to get Aberdeen Royal Infirmary [hospital] to downgrade my cancer staging," Mary said.
Added Lizzie, "My dad was so stressed by all of that. I don't think he believed that it was not true. It broke him, having to fight what he thought were trusted colleagues within the medical profession."
The Family Filed a Complaint
The complaint accused the Grampian NHS Board of failing to issue a revised report of the scan. It also states there was an "unreasonable standard of communication" during the process.
The family added that the misdiagnosis led to "significant life-changing decisions based on this understanding."
"[The family] later sought their own second opinion as they considered that the interpretation of [Mary's] scan had not taken into account a previous injury," it read. "The board performed another MRI scan, which showed no convincing evidence of metastatic disease."
The lead cancer clinician at NHS Grampian, Dr. Rafael Moleron, apologized in a statement. He said it was "clear we did not provide Mrs. Crowley with the care she expected or which we aspire to."
He added, "We have taken decisive action to strengthen how clinical information is shared and recorded to ensure uncertainty and differing opinions are clearly documented, improving reporting processes so that new information is promptly reflected."
