You may recall actress Angelina Jolie opening up about her preventative double mastectomy procedure back in 2013 after doctors discovered she carried the “‘faulty’ gene” BRCA1 and had roughly an 87 percent risk of contracting breast cancer. In an op-ed published in the New York Times, Jolie hoped her experience would serve as support for women who struggled with maintaining feelings of femininity when facing the procedure:
“I can tell my children that they don’t need to fear they will lose me to breast cancer. It is reassuring that they see nothing that makes them uncomfortable. They can see my small scars and that’s it. Everything else is just Mommy, the same as she always was. And they know that I love them and will do anything to be with them as long as I can. On a personal note, I do not feel any less of a woman. I feel empowered that I made a strong choice that in no way diminishes my femininity.”
The star revealed that after her surgery, her risk for developing breast cancer dropped down to 5%.
However, the New York Post is reporting a Harlem woman may be feeling more confused than relieved after undergoing the same kind of surgery. Eduvigis Rodriguez says a procedure in which her left breast was removed and other surgeries followed to correct complications left her weary, especially after learning that she didn’t even have cancer in the first place.
“I didn’t know whether to smile and thank God I didn’t have cancer or cry because I’ve been through so much,” the 51-year-old expressed to the publication.
The whole ordeal began when Rodriguez discovered a lump in her breast before undergoing a biopsy procedure at Mount Sinai Bethel Israel Hospital. A malpractice suit filed in a Manhattan supreme court reveals Rodriguez had benign growth in the tissue of her left breast that was believed to be cancerous, however it was later revealed that Dr. Jean-Marc Cohen misdiagnosed Rodriguez.
She was then sent to Lenox Hill hospital where according to a policy put in place in 2012, all pathology reports done at other hospitals must first be verified by Lenox Hill practitioners before any major surgery. This verification never took place despite a form signed by surgeon Dr. Magdi Bebawi stating one was.
Dr. Bebawi then performed the surgery and afterwards when the tissue was being tested to confirm its cancerous nature it was found to be benign. According to court documents, Cohen also performed his own test and came to the same conclusion. The doctor says he immediately called Rodriguez to apologize for the grave mistake:
“After the surgery, when I was told that the review of the biopsy showed no cancer, I immediately called her and made her aware that I am very sorry and I feel very bad that we did this procedure for no cancer.”
Rodriguez shares that apology won’t be quite enough and is now working to make sure justice is served and this same carelessness won’t happen with anyone else:
“I want explanations. I do not want to see this happen to anyone else. I had confidence in the surgeon and the hospitals, but I cannot believe all the mistakes that were made.”
Rodriguez will never get back her time, the days of worry and fear she must have experienced, and even the way her body once appeared but we hope she gets justice and honestly a whole lot of money for her ordeal.
The post Woman Undergoes Mastectomy Before Learning She Never Had Breast Cancer appeared first on MadameNoire.