“When I woke up, I couldn't move.”
Maria’s story is a powerful reminder of what happens when the systems designed to protect patients fail to communicate openly, listen carefully, or honour consent.
Before everything changed, Maria was independent and active, spending her days travelling, gardening, and enjoying time with her grandkids. She trusted that the operation she was undergoing would help her maintain that independence.
But when she woke from general anaesthesia, nothing was as it should have been. She couldn’t move. And it wasn't until much later that Maria learned why. An additional procedure had been carried out — without her knowledge or consent.
"Patients should never discover years later that something was done without their knowledge," Maria reflects. "Everyone deserves honesty and respect."
What happened to Maria was not just a clinical failure, but a failure of communication, safeguarding, and fundamental patient rights. Consent is the cornerstone of safe care — when it is bypassed, patients are left vulnerable, frightened, and betrayed by the very system meant to protect them.
Today, at 88 and using a wheelchair, Maria continues to speak up so others do not face the same breach of trust. Her message to those in charge of healthcare is simple and deeply human: "Be honest — and treat every patient as if they were one of your own family."
Her courage reflects what so many affected by avoidable medical harm tell AvMA: when openness is missing, when communication breaks down, the harm is deeper and the road to recovery is longer.
AvMA stands beside people like Maria every day, providing expert advice, advocacy, and hope to those affected by avoidable medical harm. Your monthly support can give someone the advice and hope they need.
