Receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis is a family’s worst nightmare. For one Maryland family, the nightmare was compounded by the fact that the diagnosis was completely wrong.
It started with a blinding headache and moments of deep confusion. When great-grandmother Lynda Bush began slurring her words, her family knew they needed to act immediately. They rushed her to a local emergency room, where doctors performed a scan and discovered a massive lesion on her brain.
The ER doctors delivered a devastating prognosis. They diagnosed Bush with stage 4 metastatic lung cancer, according to CBS News Baltimore.
“They said it had metastasized from her lungs to her brain,” her daughter, Amy Walls, told CBS News Baltimore. “We could almost see her fading away in that bed. Every day was worse than the day before.”
Doctors started Bush on steroids to reduce the swelling in her brain, but they did not believe immediate surgery was warranted for a patient they believed was terminal. Refusing to simply watch her fade away, Bush’s family advocated for a transfer to MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center.
That decision saved her life.
Upon arrival, Bush’s case was handed to neurosurgeon Dr. Jugal Shah. When he examined Bush and reviewed her brain scans, his medical instincts kicked in.
“Infection can have the same appearance as a tumor,” Shah explained to CBS News Baltimore. “But everything I saw made me highly suspicious this was an infection.”
Trusting his expertise, Shah immediately scheduled Bush for surgery. The moment he began the procedure, his lifesaving hunch was validated.
Photo credit: RossHelen/Canva
“As soon as we opened the brain, yellow pus came out,” he recalled. “I knew my suspicions were immediately correct.”
Bush did not have a tumor, and she certainly did not have terminal cancer. She was suffering from an odontogenic brain abscess.
The massive infection was caused by Streptococcus intermedius, a type of bacteria normally found in the mouth. Bush had recently had work done on a front tooth. In incredibly rare cases, this specific oral bacterium can travel through the bloodstream and lodge directly in the brain. Left untreated, the infection would have been fatal.
Instead of preparing for hospice care, Bush spent two weeks recovering in the hospital and undergoing rehabilitation. She credits her survival entirely to her family’s relentless advocacy.
“I probably wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for my family,” Bush told CBS News Baltimore. “They were like advocates for my care.”
Her daughter echoed the sentiment, urging other families to speak up when navigating the medical system.
“You have to question things,” Walls said. “Why are you doing that? What is that for? It’s very important to be there for your family member.”
