When Hospitals Can’t Communicate: A Veteran Family’s Experience with Cancer Care, part 2
Cancer is frightening enough on its own. What many families do not expect is how difficult navigating the healthcare system can become when communication between hospitals breaks down. While I was receiving care at the Veterans Hospital at Wade Park in Cleveland, doctors recommended that I be transferred to University Hospital for further evaluation. The purpose of the transfer was to determine whether the cancer had returned in my brain and required additional radiation treatment, or whether I was experiencing radiation necrosis.
My understanding of the transfer was straightforward. The neurological surgical team at University Hospital would review my MRI and PET scan and determine whether they would take my case for further evaluation or treatment. My nurse at the VA informed me that University Hospital’s neurological team had already reviewed the images and believed I should be transferred for evaluation and possibly a procedure. That evening, my husband returned home to rest while I remained at the hospital.
Around 9:30 p.m., the staff encouraged me to try to sleep. At approximately 4:30 in the morning, I was awakened and told that a transfer ambulance from University Hospital had arrived. During the ambulance ride, the paramedic in the back complained that the transfer was a waste of time and money. Comments were made in my presence by an attending ambulance staff member who voiced an opinion about what he referred to as the “Orange Man’s War.” As a patient being transported from Wade Park Veterans Hospital for a possible cancer-related procedure, those comments made me feel extremely uncomfortable and uneasy.
When I arrived at University Hospital, the attending nurse initially could not locate my paperwork for me. As they began reviewing my chart, I noticed something concerning. The records they were referencing were not from the VA, but from a previous brain surgery I had undergone at the Cleveland Clinic Akron in December of 2024. I was also placed on a “nothing by mouth” order, indicating that a procedure might be necessary. At that point, I became increasingly concerned about whether the medical team had the correct records or medication information. I called my husband at approximately 5:00 a.m. because I believed I was being given different pain medications than expected, and the staff continued preparing injections that I did not fully understand
My husband drove an hour to reach the hospital and arrived around 7:30 a.m. Shortly after he arrived, an oncology resident entered the room and began reviewing my case. Like many consultations before it, the discussion centered on determining the best course of treatment. We were told that the neurological surgeon would be coming to review my case and discuss the treatment plan.
We waited. By 10:30 a.m., the neurological surgeon had still not arrived. Another group of doctors and residents made rounds and again reassured us that the surgeon would be coming soon. Because a procedure was still being discussed, I was told I could not eat. By noon, nearly eight hours after arriving, we were still waiting.
Later in the afternoon, comments were made in my presence by a member of the attending staff expressing strong negative opinions about America, the military, and veterans. As the spouse of a veteran receiving treatment in a hospital environment, those remarks made the situation feel increasingly uncomfortable. At approximately 2:30 p.m., a resident returned and informed us that no procedure would be performed after all and that I could finally eat.
By that point, it had been close to twenty-four hours since I had last eaten, while also taking medications that normally require food. At that stage, several issues had compounded:
• confusion over medical records
• repeated delays
• uncertainty about treatment
• and an environment that no longer felt supportive or safe.
After discussing the situation with my husband, I decided to request a self-discharge so that I could return to an environment where I felt safer continuing my care. The doctors and nurses who dedicate their lives to caring for patients perform incredibly important work. However, when communication breaks down between hospitals, when records are not properly coordinated, and when patients feel uncomfortable or unsupported in their care environment, the system fails the very people it is meant to help. Patients facing serious illnesses should be able to focus on healing, not navigating confusion, delays, and uncertainty in the system.
Posted on 08 Mar 2026, 13:09 - Category: The Health Care System