Failed to inform me of my correct diagnosis, MDS, a bone marrow cancer. Had his nurse tell me on the phone that the results of a bone marrow biopsy were "essentially normal" when they were not. Told me I was "too old" (56) would give me palliative care. Did not discuss possibility of bone marrow transplant, except to say "If you were 20 we would go for the cure." I self-referred to Seattle and The Hutchinson Center in 1996 and although I was by then in the 5th and final stages of this terminal disease and had no sibling matches a donor was located in Germany. I had the life-saving transplant on 12/13/96. And for almost 10 years I recuperated and lived well. He was aware of this, but never communicated through my internist. In 2006 the transplant began to fail. I fought both City of Hope and Blue Cross of California for a second transplant, which occured 6/30/07! My second transplant is functioning VERY WELL!

Submitted May 18, 2008