JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville veteran says she was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer months after doctors at the Jacksonville VA initially deemed a mass to be benign.
Now, 32-year-old Tanisha Crisp is speaking exclusively to Action News Jax, hoping her story encourages other women to trust their instincts when it comes to their health.
“I wasn’t thinking that it was cancer, but he told me that basically I needed to be assessed to see if it was cancer,” Crisp said.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
Crisp, an Army veteran, said her health scare began in February of last year when she went to the emergency room at the Mayo Clinic for chest pain.
According to Crisp, a CAT scan revealed an abnormal lymph node. Medical records reviewed by Action News Jax show her primary care doctor at the Jacksonville VA also noted the abnormal lymph node, but determined it was not a concern.
Still, Crisp pushed for more answers and insisted on getting a mammogram.
“I didn’t want to believe it was cancer because I was so young,” Crisp said.
The mammogram, completed in April, revealed a mass that medical records described as “probably benign.” Even after telling doctors that her grandmother had breast cancer, Crisp said she was sent home without a biopsy and told to return for follow-up care later.
Nearly nine months later, in January, Crisp returned to the emergency room. This time, she said she was dealing with breast pain and bloody discharge.
She was once again referred for a mammogram through her primary care doctor.
This time, a mammogram and biopsy revealed what she feared all along: stage 3 breast cancer.
“And the same radiologist that told me I didn’t have cancer in the same breast, in the same area, same everything, was also the same radiologist that diagnosed me with cancer,” Crisp said.
Crisp said she was left frustrated and heartbroken by how her concerns were handled.
“She never said sorry. She never said we messed up,” Crisp said.
Crisp has since filed a formal complaint and retained an attorney.
When Action News Jax reached out to the VA with questions, the agency responded by saying it does not comment on pending litigation.
Now, Crisp said she hopes sharing her story will help prevent another woman’s concerns from being dismissed.
“Go with your gut if you feel that something is wrong. That it just doesn’t seem right,” she said.
Crisp, who is already considered 100% disabled, said a claim to add her cancer diagnosis to her disability status was denied. Tanisha’s friends have created this GoFundMe for support while she misses work to receive weekly treatments.
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
