Should the hospital pay this man some money for the wrong diagnosis? link LONDON (Reuters) - A British man who went on a wild spending spree after doctors said he only had a short time to live wants compensation because the diagnosis was wrong and he is now healthy -- but broke. ADVERTISEMENT John Brandrick, 62, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer two years ago and told that he would probably die within a year. He quit his job, sold or gave away nearly all his possessions, stopped paying his mortgage and spent his savings dining out and going on holiday. Brandrick was left with little more than the black suit, white shirt and red tie that he had planned to be buried in when it emerged a year later that his suspected "tumor" was no more than a non-life threatening inflammation of the pancreas. "When they tell you you've got a limited time and everything, you do enjoy life," Brandrick, from Cornwall in the west of England, told Sky television. "I'm really pleased that I've got a second chance in life... but if you haven't got no money after all this, which is my fault -- I spent it all -- they should pay something back." If he can't get compensation, he is considering selling his house or suing the hospital that diagnosed him. The hospital has said that while it sympathizes with Brandrick, a review of his case showed no different diagnosis would have been made.
this is a tough one. the hospital and doctors should be held responsible somewhat for their false diagnosis. imagine if a benign tumor was actually malignant then they would have been sued like crazy. but i think if i were in the mans shoes and the doctors told me that i had less than a year to live i would probably do the same thing and try to enjoy life as best as i could. now the guy is pretty screwed, should the hospital pay for it all? no, but there should be some sort of retribution
It seems a second opinion would've said the same thing. It's a hard to judge, but the hospital didn't enjoy all that money he frittered away for 2 years. His comments sound like he's a realist who just needs a break...
Hmmmm..... I'm actually wondering why you capitalized MEAN in the title....I would have gone with NOT
OK, so now we have a license to be irresponsible with our lives if a medical professional says we are going to die? How about someone just off this guy for being a dumbass and we'll call it even.
If I was the hospital, I would tell him that it would be quite easy to make their original death prognosis come true. But if he didn't feel like getting shot in the head in some back alley, perhaps he should just enjoy not being dead.
Stupidity in my opinion. Doctors can't win. Doctors are human. Even given the amount of time to live, you should always prepare for a longer life span than the doctors give you. They just cannot predict these things.
i was watching this episode of the outer limits last night on a billionaire that didn't want to die and funded an exoskeleton heart research project. long story short, the doctor killed him because an 18 year old girl needed the experimental heart more, but he didn't give it to her because he felt guilty of being under the old man's contract. true story.
Are you saying the outer limits episode was a true story, or do you mean it was a true story that you were watching that episode last night?
i'd probably do exactly as he did, you're gonna die why not live it up? not sure what, if any, liability the docs should assume for the missed diagnosis/screwed up finances ... dam, life sucks and then yah don't die!
