Medical Center Apologizes After Sending ‘Unbelievable’ Message to Patients Ahead of Christmas

A medical center issued an apology after patients were shocked by the message it sent them ahead of Christmas.

According to BBC, Askern Medical Practice in Doncaster, England, accidentally informed patients that they had aggressive lung cancer instead of sending them a Christmas message.

The center reportedly sent the text message on Dec. 23.

Sarah Hargreaves, a patient waiting for medical test results, told the BBC she “broke down” when she received the message, only to be informed it was an error later on.

The first text said the recipients had “aggressive lung cancer with metastases,” the BBC reported.

The message told patients to fill out a DS1500 form, which gives people with terminal diseases the ability to claim certain benefits.

Hargreaves shared after receiving the original text, she “felt sick to my teeth and broke down.”

She explained, “I had just had a mole removed and was awaiting a result from a biopsy and I had been to hospital as my smear test came back abnormal, so yes, I was very worried.”

Carl Chegwin, another of the center’s patients, as well as his mother, were recipients of the text, as the outlet noted.

He shared that he was upset by the message which “was enough to break someone.”

Chegwin added, “The first thing I thought was, ‘Is this some kind of sick joke?'”

He continued, “It completely took me by surprise… It’s not often I go to the doctors, then out of the blue, it’s cancer. I’m sat there scratching my head thinking, ‘I do smoke, do they know something I don’t?'”

Chegwin explained, “They’ve just told people a few days before Christmas they’ve got terminal lung cancer. They can’t do that.”

Property developer Chris Reed told The Telegraph, “They went from ‘you’ve got lung cancer’ to ‘merry Christmas’ in about an hour. Unbelievable.”

The initial text was followed by another from the center, saying, “Sincere apologies,” adding, “A very merry Christmas and a happy New Year.”