Woman gets stranger's MRI results

She feared she had brain tumor until she learned MRI wasn't hers

ORANGE PARK, Fla. – An Orange Park woman told News4Jax Tuesday night that she spent the last week thinking she had a life-threatening condition, a large tumor growing in her brain, but what she thought were her MRI scans were someone else's.

Venita Foster said she went for an MRI at Orange Park Medical Center last week, after having a seizure, to try to find out what caused it. After getting the results, she saw a large white circular shape inside her brain (seen above).

"So I Googled -- (the) worst thing you can ever do is Google without knowing what you're looking for. Well, it came up as a brain tumor," said Foster.

After doing more research, Foster said she was certain that she had a life-threatening tumor.

"School started, kids running around. My mind is not where it should have been. Funeral arrangements, seeing my family. It wasn't pleasant at all," said Foster.

Foster said relatives were even planning to fly to Jacksonville to help with her children because she thought her days were numbered. When Foster went to the doctor to go over her results, he noticed something.

"He looks at it, gives me a tissue and says ‘Calm down, let me call (the) neurologist.' Found out, they gave me the wrong results," said Foster.

Foster's doctor assured her that she was mistakenly given the wrong MRI results. Now, she's still trying to figure out why she had a seizure and is struggling to get her actual results from the hospital.

She's worried about the person who the MRI results really belong to.

"If they gave me the wrong results, what are the chances they gave that guy the wrong MRI, and he thinks he's fine?" said Foster.

News4Jax reached out to Orange Park Medical Center for comment on Foster's case.

Director of Marketing David Goldberk said, "Due to HIPAA requirements, we regretfully are unable to comment on a specific patient's records. However, if a patient believes to have received a document in error, which can occur in very rare circumstances, the patient should speak to their provider and work with the facility to allow them the opportunity to investigate and rectify the situation, if in fact an error has occurred."

Foster told News4Jax that she's tried to get the correct results and has called the hospital to let them know about the situation. So far, Foster has not been able to locate her actual MRI results.


About the Author:

Scott is a multi-Emmy Award Winning Anchor and Reporter, who also hosts the “Going Ringside With The Local Station” Podcast. Scott has been a journalist for 25 years, covering stories including six presidential elections, multiple space shuttle launches and dozens of high-profile murder trials.