B.C. woman says doctor shortage, anti-Indigenous bias may be why doctors missed her cancer – CBC
Jun 09, 2023
Health minister says more family doctors being hired and action on systemic racism being taken
A northern B.C. woman is fighting multiple myeloma that she believes could have been caught much earlier if she had had a family doctor to put together the puzzle pieces of her symptoms.
Laurie Mercer, 57, a Nisga’a woman living in Terrace, is currently in Vancouver General Hospital after a tumour grew so big it broke one of her vertebrae.
She said the tumour’s growth left her with excruciating pain, but five walk-in clinic doctors didn’t fully investigate its cause and believes her story is another example of how a shortage of family doctors is leading to fragmented care.
“I know I’m not a special case, but I’m one that falls through the cracks,” Mercer said.
Read More: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/b-c-cancer-diagnosis-missed-1.6867856
