Anyone facing a chronic, debilitating illness could easily let it hold them back and define their lives, but Krissy lived her life to the fullest. Despite battling multiple sclerosis, she led an active lifestyle and enjoyed inline skating and cycling.

Krissy took a trip to the mountains in 2006 to go skiing and snowboarding. Two weeks later, she was suffering from an intense headache and had extremely high high blood pressure — as high as 204/97. Steroids, one of the medicines Krissy was using to treat her MS, can cause high blood pressure. So when Krissy went to the hospital, the doctor was not overly concerned.

The doctor told her she was having a migraine, prescribed pain medication and sent her home. In reality, Krissy didn’t have a migraine; she had a brain bleed. Because of the doctor’s misdiagnosis, Krissy suffered a hemorrhagic stroke.

When she woke up the next morning, she no longer had a headache. However, she also couldn’t walk or talk. Now, several years later, she still has trouble walking, and she needs help completing everyday tasks. Krissy was confined to a wheelchair for the first month after her stroke, and she suffers paralysis from head to toe on the right side of her body.

The family sued the doctor for medical malpractice, and a jury determined that his failure to diagnose Krissy’s condition was, in fact, negligent. Krissy and her family were awarded $3.9 million. Although the money will make some things easier for Krissy, it certainly won’t undo the lingering effects of the doctor’s mistake that she must struggle with every day.

Source: Coloradoan.com, “Fort Collins woman wins $3.9M malpractice suit against former PVH doctor,” Robert Allen, April 20, 2012