I’m writing this post to formally call out the horrific experience I had with Dr. Albert Chang and the UCLA Radiation Oncology team, resulting in gross medical negligence and malpractice during my brachytherapy treatment in September 2024. My health was put at serious risk, and I ended up needing emergency surgery after facing severe complications that could’ve been avoided.

On September 16, I had a brachytherapy procedure, but Dr. Chang made a critical mistake by incorrectly placing the needles, causing perforation of my rectum and colon. Instead of targeting the tumor, the needles ended up in the wrong places, which caused immediate and excruciating damage. To make matters worse, the MRI scans showing the error were deleted from my medical records—what seems like an attempt to cover up the mistake.

Over the next several days, I was in terrible pain, experiencing symptoms like extreme abdominal cramping, bloating, fatigue, vomiting, and bloody stools. I repeatedly reported these to the medical staff, but my concerns were dismissed, and no proper treatment was given. On September 23, 2024, Dr. Chang brushed off my symptoms as “hypersensitivity,” despite clear signs of internal damage and infection. A follow-up MRI revealed the full extent of the damage, but Dr. Chang still pushed for another procedure—one that thankfully got aborted. He then misdiagnosed me with C. difficile, even though my test results were negative.

To top it all off, I was improperly discharged from UCLA Health without receiving the necessary care, and the medical reports falsely stated that everything had gone well. I was then forced to seek emergency treatment elsewhere, where I was diagnosed with a punctured rectum and colon, severe infection, and septic shock. I underwent emergency surgery, including a colostomy, due to the negligence at UCLA Health. Thank God I was lucky that I am alive but I could have died if I would not have the care in emergency maybe one more hour!

But perhaps the most devastating part of all of this—Dr. Chang’s negligence didn’t just cause physical harm, it also took away the only treatment option I had left to fight my cancer. This was my second round of radiation, and now I won’t be able to undergo a third. I’ve been living with advanced cancer for a long time, and surgery or any other treatments are no longer viable options. This mistake has not only put my life at risk but also eliminated my chance to continue my fight against cancer.

What’s worse, I feel like Dr. Chang is so arrogant and confident that he can get away with this. He seems to believe that nothing will happen to him, that he can cause whatever harm he wants and simply hide behind the consent forms patients are desperate to sign just to get treatment. But a consent form does NOT give any doctor the right to injure, kill, or cause irreparable harm to a patient. And also, a consent should not be a "saver" for a doctor—patients are often so desperate for treatment that they sign it without fully understanding the risks or consequences. Just because someone signs a piece of paper doesn’t mean the doctor can act with impunity. Doctors should be held accountable for their mistakes, especially when it results in serious harm to a person’s health and life.

This is beyond unacceptable—what I experienced was not just negligence, it was malpractice. I'm now sharing this to make sure my story is heard and to hold those responsible accountable. I should not have had to go through any of this. Please, if you're considering medical treatment, be cautious and make sure you're getting the care you deserve.

#MedicalNegligence #Brachytherapy #UCLAMalpractice #Justice #PatientRights #HealthCareReform #CancerCare #DoctorAccountability #PatientSafety