Breast cancer survivor alleges unsafe care at Kelowna General Hospital
Leslie Chrusch says she was left unattended for hours after a 14-hour double mastectomy and DIEP reconstruction in August 2026.
KEY POINTS
- Leslie Chrusch, 47, had a double mastectomy and DIEP reconstruction at Kelowna General Hospital on Aug. 12, 2026.
- Surgery lasted about 14 hours after a complication required a second operation.
- Chrusch alleges insufficient post-operative nursing care and early discharge.
- She went public to push for better post-surgical monitoring standards.
- Interior Health has not issued a public response to the allegations.
Castlegar resident Leslie Chrusch, 47, underwent a double mastectomy with DIEP flap reconstruction at Kelowna General Hospital on August 12, 2026, after discovering a new lump in June 2025. The procedure lasted roughly 14 hours, including a four-hour emergency return to the operating room when blood flow to the reconstructed tissue failed.
Chrusch alleges that during her post-operative stay she was left without adequate nursing monitoring for extended periods, causing her to miss medication doses and struggle to call for help. She says she was discharged after five days despite ongoing concerns about wound healing and infection risk.
“I am done – I want a double mastectomy.”
Interior Health has not publicly responded to the specific allegations. Chrusch is sharing her experience publicly in the hope that hospital protocols for post-surgical monitoring will be reviewed and improved for future patients.
4 more sources below
COMMENTS (0)
No comments yet. Be the first.
RELATED STORIES
Jay Rockefeller, former West Virginia governor and senator, dies at 89
The last Democrat of the Rockefeller political dynasty died at his Washington home at age 89.
Runner dies two miles from finish line at New York City Marathon
Rachel Apa, 24, collapsed during her first marathon while raising money for Parkinson's research.
UK bans strangulation and incest roleplay porn from November 6
New rules criminalise possession and publication of porn depicting choking, suffocation, incest roleplay, or performers pretending to be under 16.
- Canada's 2026 Budget Projects $62.3 Billion Deficit and New Grocery Benefit
- Senate committees advance permanent disability law ahead of emergency expiry
- 54 to 70 hospital staff fall ill after lunch in Kutahya
- Brazil publishes selective consumption tax rates, collection to start in February 2027
- Four Detained in Elazig Disabled Care Center Abuse Probe
This page was compiled with AI assistance from the outlets named above and passed an automated language check before publication. Montegre has no reporters of its own; the byline names the outlets the story was compiled from. Method and editorial standards