Mother of two endures 'very aggressive' chemotherapy after being misdiagnosed with terminal cancer

If there’s one thing you don’t want your doctor to tell you it’s that you have a terminal condition.

From the range of emotions to the various treatment plans that aim to extend your life, it’s a lot to handle.

Lisa Monk, a mother of two from College Station, Texas, was forced to say goodbye to her loved ones and undergo “aggressive” chemotherapy after doctors diagnosed her with a rare form of cancer in early 2023.

However, during a routine hospital visit in April 2023 she learned the first pathology report was wrong. She did not have cancer.

In 2022, Monk began experiencing pain that she suspected was caused by a kidney stone. A CT scan revealed two kidney stones as well as a large mass on her spleen.

The spleen, which was removed in January 2023, was sent to three different pathology labs before it was sent to a fourth where it reportedly tested positive for a rare form of an aggressive blood vessel cancer.

“I had gone to see my doctor as a follow-up from my surgery [when I was given the news]. I was with my mom and he asked if I was okay to get bad news in front of her. This is when he told me it was cancer,” she recalled.

The mother of two described going into shock after learning her diagnosis was terminal.

“After I dropped my mom off at home, I went down to the river and prayed because I wasn’t ready to go home and tell my husband.”

Eventually Monk’s husband located her, and she told him the news. Next she had to break it to her children.

After receiving her diagnosis, Monk was referred to a cancer hospital where was immediately hospitalized and began “very aggressive” chemotherapy.

The first round of chemotherapy caused her to lose all of her hair, and a second round resulted in vomiting and “silvery skin.”

Just a few short weeks after beginning chemotherapy, Monk attended a routine appointment at the hospital where she received the shock of a lifetime.

“All of sudden, she just stops talking and has this look on her face. She turned to me and looked completely horrified and told me she needed to get the doctor and then ran out of the room,” Monk described her encounter with the nurse.

“She left me alone for about 15 minutes, and the doctor came back in. He said a lot of medical lingo to me and then told me I didn’t have cancer.”

Initially Monk believed it meant the chemotherapy was working, but the doctor clarified that she never had cancer to begin with.

“The doctor then congratulated me, which really bothered me. At the time, I was in shock, but now I feel the more appropriate response would be, ‘I’m sorry.'”

The hospital had previously ordered their own tests on her spleen, and while their report came back clean, no one looked at the results until a month later at Monk’s April appointment.

Monk explained that during the time no one looked at the results of the hospital’s lab report, she had undergone a round of chemotherapy, which could have been avoided.

Not only that but she could have avoided months of trauma and thousands of dollars of medical debt.

“It was a very dark time. I was writing goodbye letters and letters to the grandchildren I would never meet and the weddings I would never attend.”

Doctors later determined Monk’s spleen was going to rupture and the mass was due to blood vessel activity.

Although it’s been one year since the medical mistake, Monk is still suffering the consequences.

“A year on from what happened to me, I’m angry. They ruined my health, and my insides are cooked.”

How horrible! I absolutely believe those responsible should issue Lisa an apology. Although it will not fix the past, hopefully it will give her some closure.