Angie's story: the delayed diagnosis that led to amputation

“I’m an ex-registered nurse. I worked in hospitals all across the country. And yet, at the end, I feel really sad that I was let down by a health professional.”

Angeline Williams, more warmly known as “Angie”, has spent a lifetime in medicine. She knows how hospitals work, how doctors think, and what good care looks like, which makes what happened to her even more devastating.

When a lump appeared on her left shin in 2015, her GP referred her to a plastic surgeon. A biopsy was taken. What Angie wasn’t told, and what she wouldn’t learn for years, was that the biopsy had flagged a possible sarcoma. The surgeon treated the lump as benign, removed it, and told her it might come back.

It did. By 2018, it was growing rapidly, and a second surgery followed in early 2019. Then came the referral to a cancer specialist, who diagnosed myxofibrosarcoma, a rare and aggressive soft tissue cancer.

“When I was told I had the myxofibrosarcoma, it was absolutely shocking and devastating,” says Angie. “The sarcoma specialist said that the myxofibrosarcoma was there from the start.”

By March 2019, the only remaining option was a below-the-knee amputation of her left leg.

A mistake that should never have happened

Angie went back to confront the surgeon.

“I said, I’m so angry that you didn’t tell me what was on that biopsy initially. Maybe my leg would be saved.”

His response stayed with her. “He was almost crying. He said, ‘I’m so sorry. I’ve never made such a mistake in all my life.’”

The initial pathology report had either been overlooked or misunderstood, and that led to the surgeon operating on the lump as if it were non-cancerous. When the cancer grew back, he didn’t carry out any further investigations. Having operated twice on it had affected the tissue in Angie’s leg so much that the only option left was amputation.

The cancer specialist was unequivocal: had the sarcoma been identified on the first occasion, or even the second, an amputation could have likely been avoided. 

A safe place to land

Angie was in her 70s, living alone, and facing life with a prosthetic limb. She knew she’d been wronged and was determined to seek justice, and she knew she needed a lawyer she could trust.

“I met Ric for the first time in the office, and he came in smiling, and that smile just took away all my fears,” she says. “I felt very safe. I felt like someone was taking care of me, someone was interested in what was happening for me, and someone was doing something about it.”

She was an absolute delight to work with. She’d been seriously injured, and given her personality, she wouldn’t always express the extent of the anguish she had been through. But it was profound.

Medical negligence is one of the most technically demanding areas of law, requiring specialist knowledge of both medicine and litigation. Our team drew on decades of collective experience to build Angie’s case, gathering evidence to establish that the surgeon’s failure to act on the 2015 biopsy results fell below the standard of care, and that it directly caused her catastrophic outcome.

Looking forward

Angie’s case settled, securing her financial security and the resources to rebuild her life. She was compensated for her pain and suffering, the cost of her future prosthetic needs, modifications to her home, and the care she may require in the years ahead. She now has the certainty that when she needs something to support her day-to-day function, the funds are there for her.

But for Angie, the experience was about more than the outcome, it was about being heard, and about accountability for what had happened to her.

“Everybody was so happy about it. I just felt that they were cheering me on all the time, backing me. I always felt there was definitely support. I just had to pick up the phone and ask for it.”

She reflects on her recovery with characteristic determination. “You have to look forward, you have to be positive. I don’t look at the things I can’t do, I look at what I can do.”

Now 79, she has her prosthetic leg, her independence, and her sense of humour firmly intact.

“I would recommend Maurice Blackburn Lawyers. My experience has told me that they’re very helpful, supportive, caring, and a safe place to land.”

What is medical negligence?

Medical negligence occurs when a health professional's treatment falls below the accepted standard of care, causing injury or harm to a patient. It can involve a missed or delayed diagnosis, a surgical error, a failure to act on test results, or inadequate follow-up care.

To bring a successful claim, three things must be established: that the health provider breached their duty of care; that the breach caused the injury; and that the injury resulted in measurable loss and damage.

The effects of medical negligence aren't always immediately obvious, and many people, like Angie, only connect the dots years later.

We're here to help

If you or someone you love thinks they may have been affected by medical negligence, speaking to a specialist lawyer as soon as possible is important, as time limits apply.

At Maurice Blackburn, we offer a free initial consultation and represent clients on a No Win, No Fee basis. If your claim isn't successful, you pay no legal fees to us.

Contact our team today to find out where you stand.