Mary Dietman of Trumbull and Fred Frank of Stratford ventured to Capitol Hill last week urging lawmakers to stand up for victims of medical malpractice.
The two Connecticut residents are opposed to legislation, backed by President Bush, that would limit medical liability.
Bush touted the need for medical liability limits in speeches around the country last week. He said the reform would help the economy and help lower the cost of medications and health care.
"To reduce the cost of medicine for every doctor, every patient and every business, Congress needs to pass medical liability reform this year," Bush told the Detroit Economic Club last week.
Dietman and Frank spoke at a forum the Center for Justice & Democracy held on Capitol Hill for victims of medical malpractice to speak out against the Republican effort.
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In 1998, Dietman found a small mass in her right breast during self-examination and was referred to a radiologist for a mammogram. The mammogram and a subsequent ultrasound were both misread, so that a suspicious lesion on her breast went undiagnosed and untreated.
In 2000, after Dietman noticed dimpling in her breast, advanced breast cancer was diagnosed and she underwent a mastectomy, but by then her cancer had spread to her lymph nodes. Her case was settled.
Two decades ago, Frank contracted a virus that was subsequently misdiagnosed and mistreated. He lapsed into a coma for more than two and a half months. Frank has speech difficulties as a result.
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