Georgia Woman Told She Had 5 Years to Live Learned Cancer Diagnosis Belonged to Someone Else, Lawsuit Claims

A Georgia woman named Cassandra Barksdale claimed she underwent a hysterectomy after doctors told her she had an aggressive form of uterine cancer, only to later learn the diagnosis belonged to another patient.

According to a negligence lawsuit filed in Clayton County, Barksdale alleged a specimen mix-up caused her biopsy results to be wrongly attributed to her, leading to surgery to remove her uterus, cervix, ovaries, fallopian tubes, and four lymph nodes.

Barksdale filed the lawsuit against Kaiser Permanente, a senior laboratory information analyst, and five unidentified employees or agents, alleging that mistakes in handling her tissue sample led to the misdiagnosis.

According to the complaint, Barksdale first sought treatment at Kaiser Permanente's Southwood Medical Center in January 2025 for abnormal uterine bleeding and uterine fibroids. She underwent an endometrial biopsy on March 10, 2025.

The lawsuit alleged employees failed to properly identify, label, and track the tissue specimen before sending it to Quest Diagnostics for testing.

Two days later, pathology results allegedly showed "high grade endometrial uterine carcinoma with serous features." On March 17, Barksdale received a call informing her she had an aggressive form of uterine cancer.

Although a CT scan reportedly showed no evidence of cancer, the lawsuit stated Barksdale was referred to a gynecologic oncologist in Atlanta. She alleged no additional testing was performed before doctors "recommended a total hysterectomy."

She underwent surgery on May 15, 2025. According to the complaint, pathology testing performed on the removed organs found no malignant cells and no evidence of carcinoma. Despite those findings, Barksdale claimed doctors continued to tell her she had cancer and would likely need chemotherapy.

During a news conference announcing the lawsuit, Barksdale reflected on the emotional impact the situation had on her family.

"I had to contact my kids to let them know that I have five years to live and that I'm going to die because I have aggressive cancer," she told WXIA.

Barksdale also described how her children responded to the news.

"My sons went into a deep depression. It took a big hold over my family," she said.

According to the lawsuit, Permanente's administrators met with Barksdale on September 23, 2025, and informed her that DNA testing showed the biopsy specimen belonged to a different patient.

The complaint stated she later received a revised laboratory report directing her to disregard the original pathology results because the specimen had been misidentified.

Barksdale alleged the incident left her with permanent injuries, including surgical menopause, emotional distress, anxiety, depression and a diminished quality of life. She also said she experienced severe depression and suicidal thoughts after believing she was dying.

Her attorney, Roderick Edmond, said the lawsuit aimed to determine how the error occurred and whether any other patients were affected.

"We've got computers, we've got science, we've got AI, how the h— did this happen?" Edmond questioned.

Permanente acknowledged the error in a statement shared with multiple outlets.

"Our most important responsibility is to safely, expertly and compassionately care for the people who entrust us with their health. If we make a mistake, it can have profound effects," the company said.

It added, "Ms. Barksdale should not have experienced this."