Doctors misdiagnose woman with HIV, hepatitis and herpes, destroying her marriage

Wednesday, February 10, 2010 by: Ethan A. Huff, staff writer
Tags: misdiagnosis, HIV, health news

(NaturalNews) A medical misdiagnosis by Harlem Hospital in New York has essentially ruined the marriage of a New Jersey couple. Gabriel Lezcano and Maria Osorio have filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against the city hospital after Maria was mistakenly diagnosed with terminal HIV infection, hepatitis and herpes. The serious emotional trauma they both experienced from the ordeal left their marriage in shambles.

Back in February, Maria Osorio took advantage of a $15 mammogram screening special that she saw advertised on a television commercial. Following the examination, the nurse offered her a free blood test and swab test that came up positive for the three sexually transmitted diseases.

Devastated by the news, Osorio immediately confronted her husband of 37 years, accusing him of infidelity. He denied the claims, insisting that there must have been some mistake in the screening process. When Osorio questioned the hospital on the issue, doctors insisted that the test is foolproof and that it never makes a mistake.

Lezcano, distraught over his wife's mistrust of his faithfulness, tried continually to persuade her that he had not been with any other women. Osorio would not be convinced, eventually leading her to despise him. She even considered drowning herself in the ocean during their next summer vacation because she could not deal with the situation.

After three weeks of emotional turmoil, the couple received a call from the hospital notifying them that Osorio was perfectly healthy after all. Apart from one hospital secretary who personally apologized for the mistake, no formal apology was offered for the ordeal. The couple was shocked and relieved, but unfortunately much damage to their marriage had already been done.

Up until the point of the test, Osorio and Lezcano claimed to have had a very strong marriage. After the incident, the couple's relationship disintegrated. Osorio no longer trusted her husband and the couple began to sleep in separate rooms, relying heavily on sleeping pills in order to get adequate rest. Even though the situation was resolved, the couple has been unable to reunite their once strong bond. They continue to sleep separately, afraid to have any sort of sexual contact with one another.

The couple hopes that what they experienced will never again happen to anyone else. Their lawsuit against the hospital has been filed with the New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan where it awaits a ruling. Harlem Hospital officials would not comment on the case.

Sources for this story include: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/hiv_bungl...