Military veteran Norman Spivey was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer . His diagnosis could have come a lot sooner.
Due to a lack of consistent check-ups by Veterans Affairs, Norman passed away after only five months of treatment, according to First Coast News.
“I have no way of knowing that if he had had a colonoscopy a year ago, that the outcome would be any different,” Gayla said in July. “But there’s always that possibility. A year? A year to work with it. You know? I mean, it may not have spread to the liver. It may not have spread to the lymph nodes. It may be okay. But right now, it’s not. Right now, it’s not okay. It’s just not okay.”
Spivey was 64-years-old when he passed away on Saturday. He was found to be unresponsive by his wife, Gayla, and despite efforts by emergency personnel, the hospital was unable to revive him.
Gayla told First Coast News that Norman had been receiving chemotherapy treatments, which affected his appetite and weight, right up until his death.
“His spirits were so good,” Gayla said. “He had such a good outlook, he was determined to get better.”
She was speaking through tears, and wanted everyone to know, “He fought cancer as hard as any battle he ever fought. He was the strongest, most courageous man I’ve ever known. He was a brave soldier all the way up until the end. He will be missed by many, many people.”
Many stories have been surfacing over the inefficiency of Veterans Affairs clinics across the country. with patients dying due to long administrative delays. Many VA clinics had kept many patients on secret lists, which would be used to hide inefficiencies from any investigations by authorities.
Note: This article was edited for content after publication.
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