Winnipeg woman's brain tumour sample lost by health authorities, lawsuit claims

CBC News

· Posted: May 01, 2025 8:45 AM EDT | Last Updated: 4 minutes ago

A Winnipeg pistillate is suing aggregate wellness authorities successful Manitoba aft she claims aesculapian unit mislaid a encephalon tumour illustration erstwhile it was sent for laboratory investigating successful 2023. 

In a connection of assertion filed connected April 15, a 35-year-old pistillate alleges unit overseen by Shared Health — the province's wellness authorization — and the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA) failed to supply a work of attraction erstwhile they mislaid the illustration and, arsenic a result, gave her an inadequate attraction plan. 

The allegations person not been proven successful court. 

According to the claim, the pistillate was diagnosed with a close frontal encephalon tumour astir 2021. At the time, medical unit thought she had a low-grade glioma, a slow-growing benign encephalon tumour, and recommended she person craniotomy and tumour debulking surgeries.

On April 20, 2023, the tumour was surgically removed astatine the Health Sciences Centre successful Winnipeg and aboriginal preserved successful a formaldehyde solution to beryllium sent for testing.

The pistillate was discharged from the infirmary astir 2 days later, pursuing a "difficult recovery" that was "accompanied by a cascade of aggravating symptoms and conditions," the connection of assertion says.  

On April 25, the pistillate says she learned the illustration had been mislaid during a follow-up assignment with her surgeon. It was ne'er sent to the lab, the suit alleges. 

As a result, the surgeon could not supply a definitive diagnosis oregon a circumstantial attraction plan.  

Instead, the surgeon took a "watch and wait" approach while letting her cognize the mislaid illustration was being investigated internally by the hospital, the WRHA and/or Shared Health.

After she learned astir the mislaid sample the woman's information began to get worse, according to the connection of claim.  

She began to acquisition accrued anxiousness and tense shock, alongside depression, dizzy spells, migraines, assemblage spasms and slumber issues.

The pistillate says she has been incapable to enactment owed to her symptoms, and is seeking harm compensation, the assertion states. 

She is seeking wide damages, peculiar damages related to past and aboriginal care, nonaccomplishment of income damages, and related ineligible costs. 

The assertion says the WRHA and Shared Health were negligent and failed to supply a work of attraction during the preparation, collection, processing, retention and transportation of the encephalon tumour illustration — and consequent probe of, and connection around, the loss. 

Shared Health and the WRHA told CBC they are incapable to remark connected the case as it's presently earlier the courts.