A LaSalle mother of three who received diluted doses of chemotherapy says she's not giving up after a judge approved a class-action settlement that awards hundreds of cancer patients just $1,500 each.
"I kinda hoped the judge was taking this long because he was looking into all the details himself," says Sarah Johnson. "It's just heart-breaking that it went the other way."
Johnson is one of 49 litigants in a class-action lawsuit who filed an objection to the $2.3-million settlement before Justice Gregory Verbeem approved it.
"I cried," she says describing her initial reaction Friday.
Johnson was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012. She was 37, and she was seven months pregnant with her third son.
"I did the chemo like they told me to and you know, the first time you're diagnosed with cancer is very upsetting, but at the time time you have the mentality like well, I'm just going to beat this," she says. "But the second time you're diagnosed, it's the difference between life and death."
Johnson suspects her incorrect dose is to blame for her second diagnosis and worries about her children's future. In a raw statement on Facebook the day of the judge's ruling, she expressed her disappointment.
"They treated us like lab rats without our permission. They saved money by doing this, and they killed many of us by doing this. They've made my life a living hell by doing this, and they'll kill many more, including me by doing this. They will take my boys' mother away by doing this."
Her oldest son is 12 now, and she says he can not remember what life was like before.
Many of the litigants felt disrespected by the amount they would receive in the settlement, but even more so, many like Johnson, say the money is not the main issue.
"I would like at least for them to acknowledge it and look into it. It's a pretty big mistake," says Johnson. "And it's not being treated like a big mistake."
The settlement does not assign responsibility to Mezentco Solutions Inc., Marchese Hospital Solutions and MedBuy Corporation for supplying the diluted chemotherapy used by 1,200 patients. Of those, 290 patients were treated at Windsor Regional Hospital, and 691 at London Health Sciences Centre. The rest were treated at hospitals in Peterborough and New Brunswick.
Johnson fears that without acknowledgement, a similar mistake could be made in the future.
In his statement, Justice Verbeem wrote he is "very satisfied that the terms of the settlement are fair, reasonable and in the best interests of the class members as a whole."
Johnson admits she is too emotional right now to say for certain what her next move will be but says she would like to opt out of the settlement if it is not too late.
