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Ginny Hillis narrowly avoided undergoing major surgery in Windsor for breast cancer she didn’t have by seeking a second opinion.
(CBC)

A patient of Dr. Barbara Heartwell — the Windsor, Ont., doctor at the centre of a growing probe at Hôtel-Dieu Grace Hospital on unnecessary mastectomies — narrowly avoided undergoing major surgery for breast cancer she didn’t have.

In 1995, Ginny Willis found a lump in her breast. Heartwell removed it and a pathology report initially found “no evidence of malignancy.” But, a second report by the same pathologist said it was breast cancer.

Hillis said Heartwell told her the terrible news and scheduled her for surgery on the following Monday to explore the lymph nodes on her left side to see if the cancer had spread.

“I questioned for a second opinion, told her that’s what I would like, but no, she said it wasn’t necessary, that it was very clear that this was malignant,” Hillis said in an interview with CBC News.

“I felt like I was on a speeding train. I had to beat the clock. I was going to be operated on in a few days and it was an additional stress that I don’t believe I needed.”

Dr. Kevin Tracey, interim chief of staff at the hospital, said he was not aware of what Heartwell may have told Hillis about a second opinion but, “if something like that was said, it would be not appropriate.”

Clerical error

An investigation at the hospital has revealed a clerical error on the date of the reports. The first report had said there was cancer, and the second showed Hillis did not have cancer, Tracey said.

“So there’s an error in transcription with respect to the report,” he said. “That’s part of what led to the confusion of Dr. Heartwell, I believe.”

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Heartwell, Hillis sought a second opinion anyway, with the help of her sister, who is a doctor in London.

The hospital in London said it was not breast cancer at all. After hearing about the London diagnosis, Heartwell encouraged Hillis to seek a third opinion.

“Although apparently I didn’t require a second opinion, I was now advised to get a third opinion, so Dr. Heartwell sent me to Toronto to Women’s College Hospital, and I was told for the second time that I did not have breast cancer.”

Hillis stressed that she does not question Heartwell’s skill as a surgeon.

“I reckon the mistake that she made was in telling me I didn’t need a second opinion. … I felt I was entitled to a second opinion and we disagreed and I had to take my own steps. That was an additional stress. It was very hard.”

Hillis never filed a report with any medical authority after what happened, though she admits she probably should have.

“I knew that Dr. Heartwell had to rely on the pathologist and it wasn’t her error that I was misdiagnosed and I didn’t report the incident at all,” Hillis said.

Pathologist suspended

Hôtel-Dieu Grace Hospital suspended pathologist Dr. Olive Williams on Jan. 4, and reported her to the College of Physicians and Surgeons. Williams also provided pathology services to Windsor Regional Hospital and Leamington District Memorial Hospital.

Hôtel-Dieu Grace is leading a review of more than 15,000 cases dating back to August 2003, when Williams was hired to work at the region’s laboratory partner, Windsor Essex Pathology Associates.

The suspension of Williams was only made public after it was learned that Heartwell had performed mastectomies on at least two women who did not have cancer.

Heartwell removed a breast from one patient after misreading a pathology report. In the second case, a mastectomy patient learned after her surgery that a pathology report stating she didn’t have cancer was available to her surgeon, but Heartwell contends she did not see that report.

Heartwell has since been suspended, reported to the College of Physicians and Surgeons, stopped performing surgeries and has her entire mastectomy case history under review.

Officials at Hôtel-Dieu Grace Hospital said they have so far found seven “serious cases of concern” connected to Heartwell but added that the problems may be related to pathology reports.

On Thursday, the Ontario government may consider issuing a directive to hospitals to check their pathology reports in light of the revelations.

Andrew Koenig had not been heard from since Feb. 14 after visiting friends in Vancouver. (CBC)

The parents of actor Andrew Koenig, who had a role 1980s sitcom Growing Pains,confirmed Thursday that his body was found earlier in the day in Vancouver’s Stanley Park.

Walter Koenig, the father of the 41-year-ancient Los Angeles native, said a friend phoned him with word that police had found his son’s body.

“I went to the site,” a tearful Koenig told reporters near the site where the body was found. “My son took his own life.”

“I want to say … what a fantastic guy he was, a excellent human being. He was obviously in a lot of pain.”

Vancouver police earlier issued a statement saying the discovery had been made about noon, and that the remains were likely those of Andrew Koenig.

The younger Koenig disappeared on Feb. 14 and is best known for his recurring role as Richard “Boner” Stabone role in the well loved television show.

He had suffered from depression and was reported to have stopped taking medication for the condition last year. He had flown to Montreal and Toronto before visiting friends in Vancouver and was booked to glide back to Los Angeles on Feb. 16. He did not show up for the flight.

The elder Koenig and his wife, Judy, flew to Vancouver from California earlier in the week to help search for their son.

Original Star Trek actor Walter Koenig and his wife, Judy, spoke with news media Wednesday in Vancouver after arriving in the city to search for their missing son Andrew. (CBC)

On Wednesday, Walter Koenig told a news conference at the Vancouver Police Department that his son loved Vancouver and loved visiting friends there.

Koenig, himself an actor who played the role of Russian crew member Pavel Chekov on the original Star Trek TV series, implored the public to look out for his son.

With files from The Canadian Press

Team Canada forward Marie-Philip Poulin scores on netminder Jessie Vetter in a 2-0 victory over the U.S. on Thursday night. (Harry How/Getty Images)

The Canadian women’s hockey team skated up to the top step of the Olympic podium once again.

The Canadians won their third consecutive gold medal at the Olympics with an efficient 2-0 victory against the rival United States on Thursday.

Teenage whiz Marie-Philip Poulin scored two first-period goals and that was enough because netminder Shannon Szabados shut the door on the Americans with a wonderful 28-save performance.

The 23-year-ancient Szabados is the same goalie who, earlier in her career, made headlines playing with the boys in the Alberta Junior Hockey League and later one game with the Tri-City Americans of the WHL. She also played minor hockey growing up in Edmonton with Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Dion Phaneuf.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Wayne and Janet Gretzky, Canadian snowcross gold medallist Maelle Ricker, actor Michael J. Fox, defenceman Scott Niedermayer and most of the men’s team, as well as head coach Mike Babcock and his assistant coach Lindy Ruff, were among the packed and exuberant crowd to take in the women’s victory at Canada Hockey Place.

The Canadian victory avenged losses to the U.S. in the past two world championships. Because of the disappointment at those two tournaments, the Canadian women changed their preparation for the Vancouver Olympics.

They held a 3½-week boot camp in Dawson Creek, B.C. There, each day started with a long-distance run every morning at 7 a.m. and between weight training, yoga sessions, kickboxing workouts and on-ice instruction, their day didn’t end until 9:30 p.m.

The Canadian women also engaged in an ambitious 31-game schedule, beginning in late September, against Alberta boys midget teams. This was 10 more games than they played against Alberta boys teams in preparation for the 2006 Olympics.

The commitment and dedication obviously paid off. They won five of six exhibition games against the U.S. and extended their Olympic win streak to 15 games. The Canadians outscored the opposition 48-2 in their five games at Vancouver.