Photo: Image: Getty/Joe Raedle
A lawsuit filed in Washington alleges that a hospital removed a potentially cancerous bladder tumor from a man before misplacing it.
Jeremy Morton-Maxson, a 39-year-old Seattle resident with a family history of bladder cancer, received guidance from a urologist to undergo tumor removal for testing. The recommendation came after he noticed blood in his urine in March 2022, as stated in boththe lawsuitand a news release provided to McClatchy News.
However, Morton-Maxson found himself in a state of anxious anticipation for several weeks, as there was no definitive diagnosis provided, the release stated.
Morton-Maxson received distressing news on Sept. 2, 2022, when the urologist who conducted his surgery informed him that the hospital had misplaced his tumor, preventing it from being analyzed. This development, as detailed in the complaint and release, prompted Morton-Maxson to file a lawsuit against the University of Washington and those responsible for his medical care, citing negligence and liability.
“If the tumor was malignant, a pathology report would have told us how aggressive the cancer is and help his care team make critical decisions, including what targeted therapies would have served Jeremy best,” Neff said in the release.
Hero Images/Getty Images
Consequently, doctors presented Morton-Maxson with two choices: either endure “painful and invasive diagnostic” tests every two months for bladder examination or opt for preventive chemotherapy, according to the release.
Throughout this ordeal, Morton-Maxson claims that UW Medicine has yet to issue an apology for the loss of his tumor.
“I understand that we all make mistakes — I know how understaffed, overworked, and underpaid hospital nurses and technicians are, which I am sure played into this,” Morton-Maxson said. “But in those instances, you need to hold up your hand and say ‘I messed up and I am sorry.’ ”
Morton-Maxson expressed that had UW Medicine taken responsibility for their mistake and offered an apology, the matter would not have escalated to a legal case.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“It was a violation of the standard of care not to have the papillary lesion removed at surgery and undergo pathologic evaluation,” UW Medicine responded to Morton-Maxson’s complaint.
source: people.com
