CNN iReport

On October 12, 2001 I went into the Mayo Clinic, (St. Luke's Hospital) Jacksonville, Florida for open-heart surgery. I was told I would be in there for six days. Due to a careless mistake the Mayo punctured my stomach in two places. I was their involuntary guest for almost five weeks. While in the Mayo one of my lungs collapsed, I contracted MRSA, peritonitis, pneumonia and my gall bladder stopped working. When I went home it was as a decrepit invalid with drainage bottles hanging from me, infected with invasive candidiasis (from which, four out of ten people who get it, die), a collapsed lung, suffering from excruciatingly painful bedsores and an agonizingly painful wound in my abdomen which, despite following the Mayo's recommendations to the letter, would not heal. Due to their mistake, the Mayo Clinic nearly killed me, caused me much agony, took over two years of my life away, and then, after agreeing to cancel their bill (to see the Mayo's letter agreeing this, please view page 6 at www.mayovictim,com), waited until the time limit for filing a medical malpractice suit ran out and then, in May 2005, sued me. A time line, copies of documents, letters and photographs detailing my Mayo Clinic experiences and subsequent events may be found on this site: http://www.mayovictim.com/