Tamron Little was 21 and pregnant with her first child. During a routine ultrasound, doctors found what they suspected to be a fibroid tumor.
Little’s tumor wasn’t tested or treated – doctors told her this type of tumor was common among Black women and would resolve on its own, but they were wrong.
Five months after giving birth, she was diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive cancer that affects the lining of the abdomen and, in most cases, develops following asbestos exposure.
Her misdiagnosis had delayed treatment, and just as she was starting her journey as a new mother, she was given 18 months to live.
Little, now 39 and a contributor for the Mesothelioma Center at Asbestos.com, survived. But her misdiagnosis led to a distrust in the medical system. Each year, a misdiagnosed disease kills or disables about 795,000 people in the United States, according to a 2023 study published by BMJ Quality & Safety. In a July 2024 survey of 50 cancer survivors across the U.S. who were misdiagnosed, 92% said the misdiagnosis hurt their health, 64% had their treatment delayed, and 56% said their cancer advanced to a later stage.
