PHOENIX — A West Valley woman was left with thousands of dollars in medical bills after she received unnecessary chemotherapy due to a mistaken cancer diagnosis.
"The journey started in June of 2024," Idenna R. said.
That's when Idenna, who only wanted to go by her first name, found a mass in her breast that needed to be looked at. A biopsy was done and the news that came was life-changing.
"And that information came back that I had Metaplastic Carcinoma, which is a very rare and very aggressive cancer," she said. "Everything was different. Everything looks different, sounds different, feels different because you're in survival mode. Every minute counts, everything counts, every decision you make."
It was so aggressive, that after successfully removing the tumor, her oncologist at Honor Health advised her to start chemotherapy.
"The only medical treatment for this cancer is chemotherapy," Idenna said. "At this time, I trusted a lot because they have expertise that I don't have. I started Chemotherapy in August and pursued a second opinion because I wanted to know more about it because it was so rare. The second opinion came back and said this is not what this is."
The second opinion by Mayo Clinic was followed by a third opinion from the Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center. They also agreed, saying the initial diagnosis was wrong. The tumor was benign and not cancer, chemotherapy wasn't needed and all treatment stopped.
"And I was left in a room to pick up the pieces," Idenna said. "I felt very conflicted. It's still taking me time to process."
Idenna had already begun chemotherapy, which had taken its toll.
"Whether it's one time or had it been the scheduled 16 infusions that I was supposed to have between August and January it was one time too many," she said. "Having your hair fall out is different, having your nails hurt and skin hurt is different, having nausea and headaches it's all different."
Knowing it was all for nothing was devastating. And then the bills came including charges that came after the error in diagnosis was found.
"I'm still responsible for all the bills," she said. "I had to pay to walk into the doctor's office for the doctor to tell me the decision is different, your treatment is different."
Idenna understands there are costs she's responsible for, however, she has disputed the thousands of dollars she now owes on services that were ultimately unnecessary. Her disputes were denied.
"And I was told 'we did our research, the team did what they were supposed to do in terms of the care with the diagnosis you were given, and the management team decided you still have to pay the bills'," she said.
For Idenna, the past five months have been a rollercoaster emotionally, physically and mentally.
"Who is fighting for me?" she said. "Who's fighting for my health?"
Now, as she focuses on what's next, she says she'll keep fighting for what she feels is right.
12News reached out to HonorHealth. We've been told they're reviewing the case.
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