our sickest patients are frequently
harmed inside our health care systems
medical era is the third leading cause
of death in Canada and in the u.s. and
South Africa where I’m from is just as
high complex cases like cancer heart
disease and diabetes have multiple
specialists multiple visits and multiple
opportunities for deadly mistakes I know
I nearly died from mistakes I’m here to
say you can catch preventable mistakes
you might save a life
yours or someone you love I didn’t know
this years ago I’m at home it’s 3 a.m.
and I wake up with an excruciating
headache
I have nausea and heaving over the
toilet I’m not pregnant or hungover my
husband Marchand drives me to the
emergency room have you visited the ER
hours of waiting rewarded with a
fashionable backless blue gown and too
sick to care I get needle into my veins
and into my back the spinal fluid I feel
like a human pincushion brain scan yep
my brains still there I just want to go
home to my four-year-old son Aiden the
ER doctor arrives someone who’s used to
giving bad news all day with little
empathy I call him dr. blunt he says
Claire
you have a small brain tumor but it’s
not causing your headaches what what did
you say you have a brain tumor
I recommend yoli MRIs or brain scans but
it’s not causing your headaches what I
have a brain tumor it’s not causing my
headaches yeah
meningitis is causing your headaches
with medication it’ll resolve you can go
home he walks out what I have a brain
tumor I have a ticking time bomb inside
my head and no one knows when it’s gonna
go off what it’s dark when we get home I
peek in on Aiden asleep his little chest
moving up and down more than anything I
want to watch Aiden grow up next morning
3:00 a.m. I wake up this time I’m scared
I tiptoed to my computer I need to
educate myself in ask questions but
let’s be honest I don’t know where to
start I don’t know what to do
fortunately dr. Google is on call I find
the Facebook brain tumor support group
and on it people are saying get copies
of your medical records and be a tracker
track everything your doctor says
because mistakes can happen from simple
oversight to something more serious and
mistakes can add up Aiden Boxton
sleepy-eyed
it’s 5:00 a.m. mommy
what you doing how do you tell your
child you have a serious illness
I love mommy is mommy sick so my friends
are saying I should be a tracker so I’m
educating myself I’m being an Oscar
mommy
I thought you a manager oh yes love I’m
still a manager okay I go play his back
to his animals my son in mind of me I’m
a manager at work so how can I think
like a manager about my health
I know I need to track my medical
records educate myself and ask questions
and manage all my appointments and
medications spells interesting ok track
educate ask manage my support group my
family and my doctors also on my team
this is like a team approach to manage
my health little did I know this
approach would save my life
because I would catch mistakes that
could happen to anyone
let me show you a mistake one doctor
blunt said brain scans every year but in
his report he wrote one brain scan next
year with no reference to every earth I
flagged this a small mistake or simple
oversight mistake to your later brain
scan time
dr. brain my neurologist says to me
Claire your mi is stable no further MRIs
are needed this feels good I’d go home
and tell my Facebook brain tumor support
group the good news until they remind me
the medical standard of care which is a
thing that most doctors do is brain
scans every year I asked for a second
opinion who confirms us I caught a
mistake without harm medical opinions
can differ but when it doesn’t feel
right keep asking mistake three a year
later I wake up at home to a spinning
room and my eyes can’t look up my family
doctor sends me to the neurologist
on-call doctor at 24/7 he’s dismissive
and very overworked doctor I am dizzy
and my eyes can’t look up is this a
symptom that my brain tumors growing
Claire
probably an ear infection he says to me
and he sends me home with no medication
no follow-up appointment and no brain
scan now this was a mistake according to
a subsequent medical board review I’m an
optimist
no one was trying to harm me humans make
mistakes mistakes now adding up a week
later and I’m still dizzy and I
developed an intense headache so my
family doctor sends me to the ER and I
make dr. busy and I know what I need to
ask where’s my husband and my support
group have given me advice mistake for
doctor I have a brain tumor I am dizzy
with an intense headache I think I need
a brain
Claire I’ve spoken to your neurologist
we’re increasing in medications no brain
scan you’re good to go home
it’s common for doctors to trust the
specialists is this a mistake
well next day I’m confusing my words and
my legs are weak my husband drives me to
our family doctor he’s demanding a brain
scan so my family doctor refers me or
private pay MRI my brain tumor had
thank goodness for my team approach
track educate ask manage for my support
groups my family doctor my husband
demanding a brain scan and for the
medical team that finally saved my life
without them all I wouldn’t be here
today
a collection of mistakes would have died
health care systems are complex and
overburdened for both patients and
doctors mistakes can happen we’re only
because this is life you need a team
approach learn to track educate ask and
manage gather your support groups
your life is too important to take
lightly
be proactive take responsibility and put
your health in your own hands you might save a life yours or somebody you love