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State Officials Issue a Warning after a Woman in Pennsylvania is Killed
Wed Mar 1, 7:00 AM ET
West Pittson, PA (PRWEB) March 1, 2006 -- Maureen Thiel was the person who organized group trips to the nearby amusement park, Christmas get-togethers, the local cookie exchange, church events and neighborhood picnics. She was the thumping heartbeat of a little community and certainly the thumping heartbeat of her own family. Why then, did this all American woman become the victim of a tragic and silent killer? Furthermore, why did the State of Pennsylvania not take heed of this heinous crime and punish the guilty culprits?
From November 1994 to May 1996, Maureen visited two doctors and one surgeon. After multiple mammograms and ultrasounds, she was told, three different times, "Do not worry Mrs. Thiel, you have common cysts. Please come back in one year for your annual checkup." At the time, she was never given an educational pamphlet on breast care and never knew that she needed to take charge of her own medical treatment. She implicitly relied on the doctors, trusting in them to make a proper diagnosis.
In March of 1997, Maureen changed insurance providers and saw a fourth doctor, who finally gave a correct diagnosis. By this time she had 47 of 47 lymph nodes positive for Stage III cancer and was given less than two years to live. Although the news was devastating, she was determined to conquer the disease no matter what mountains she needed to climb. In the subsequent 15 months she endured over 200 doctor visits, seven surgeries, 87 days in the hospital and 52 days of stem cell implants. The valiant attempt at saving her own life finally ended on May 16, 1998 when the cancer won its final round.
Within seven years after Maureen's death, Bill Thiel (her husband) followed through on many promises. The first one was to hold the doctors accountable for their erroneous actions, thus continuing the medical negligence lawsuit that she had filed shortly after her diagnosis. Albeit, it was a grueling and heart wrenching ordeal for her family and friends, bittersweet victory was achieved in June 2004, when a jury found two of the doctors guilty of causing Maureen's death.
Shortly thereafter, the State opened a separate investigation into the allegations of negligence against the doctors (File No. 04-49-05754 & 04-49-05755). The process took approximately 18 months and resulted in a recent letter from the Pennsylvania State Department dated November 7, 2005 stating "subsequent to expert review of all of the evidence in this case by medical consultants, a warning letter has been sent in this matter but the Department of State has decided not to file formal charges at the present time." Not once during their evaluation, even though it's a requirement of the complaint process, did they request witness testimony and hold a public hearing. At the very least, they could have reviewed victim impact statements, trial records, and/or referred to expert witnesses that are specialized in breast care. To add insult to injury, the State was also made aware (after the fact) that one of the negligent doctors falsified medical records that were presented at trial and yet they still refuse to reopen the investigation.
Mr. Thiel has been more than outraged by this injustice and has vowed to his sons that "he will never let these doctors get away with killing his wife and their mother." She did not die in vain and he will continue with her mission. Her story is a gift of knowledge and more importantly, a lesson for all of us.
About Maureen's Mission (www.maureensmission.org)
Maureen's Mission is a nonprofit organization focused on breast care awareness and educating women on delayed diagnosis, misdiagnosis and their right for an early correct diagnosis.
With the help of breast cancer coalitions across the country, they are working at a federal level by introducing a bill to many states for review. The legislation would create standards in diagnosing, treatment and follow-up of a breast lump. Currently, there are none and standard of care in a diagnosis can vary greatly. Our nation is spending millions of dollars writing guidelines and doing research in breast care, but there is nothing in this country to mandate that any doctor follow them. If passed, the bill would ensure that all women have access to a specialized health care provider in breast care. If a woman, because of geographical location, cannot get treatment from a health care provider specialized in breast care, then her health provider who is not specialized must forward her file to one that is, before a diagnosis can be made.
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Maureen's Mission
Bill Thiel
(570) 388-1058
