Physician withholds cancer diagnosis from trans* patient (TW: transphobia)
A doctor at a major New York hospital failed to tell a patient he had cancer, and the patient suspects the reason is because he’s transgender.Jay Kallio, a 56-year-old man who transitioned six years ago, says when he underwent a medical exam at the hospital, his doctor seemed “bewildered” by his body. The doctor ordered a mammogram for Kallio but failed to tell him a lump on his breast tested positive for cancer.
He learned about the diagnosis much later, not from the doctor, but when a lab technician called to ask about it.
“I kept hitting this stone wall of non-acceptance,” Kallio told the New York Daily News. “It’s a systemic problem. It was at all levels of providers, from doctors to housekeeping to the nursing staff. People need to be aware that this discrimination will not be tolerated.”
Although the doctor later apologized, Kallio told the Daily News that the time spent to find new physicians has put his health in greater danger.
“It delayed my care past the therapeutic window for chemotherapy,” said Kallio. “You should have chemotherapy within three months of cancer therapy. Because I had to change providers and kept encountering discrimination, it delayed the care. So much of cancer care has to do with early treatment.”
Appalling. Let’s not forget that the Affordable Care Act prohibits discrimination against trans* patients - apparently not everyone’s gotten the memo.
(Source: gaywrites)
