MadameNoire Featured Video

Source: Fox 26

Source: Fox 26

Black people have a long history of distrust of doctors. From J. Marion Sims, “the father of gynecology” using enslaved African American women for his research, to the Tuskegee Experiment, to the use and misuse of Henrietta Lacks’ cells, Black people have had legitimate reason to distrust the medical community.

But that distrust can only go so far. Because when we’re really sick, we all need and want doctors to be available to step in and save our lives.

According to Fox 26, in Houston, that’s the predicament Ethel Easter found herself in as she was waiting for doctors to perform a hernia surgery on her. When her doctor told her she would have to wait two months for the surgery, she broke down crying.

“I was like, ‘I can’t wait for two months. I’m terribly ill. And he said, ‘Listen’—he got very abrupt. He said, ‘Who do you think you are? You have to wait just like everybody else.”

Based on her doctor’s attitude, Easter decided that she was going to record her doctors during surgery.

Easter had braids in her hair at the time of the operation; and before she was given anesthesia, she’d hidden a recording device in her hair, which she had fashioned into an updo.

When Easter started snoring, the doctor started telling the operating staff how he felt about the women lying on the table in front of him.

“She’s a handful. She had some choice words for us in the clinic when we didn’t book her case in two weeks…I’m going to call a lawyer and file a complaint,” he said jokingly.

Then another staffer said, “That doesn’t seem like the thing to say to the person who’s going to do your surgery.”

One nurse made fun of Easter’s belly button, while another one referred to her as “Precious meet Precious.”

The surgeon said that he even felt sorry for Easter’s husband for having to put up with her.

Right now, it’s unclear if Easter will sue the hospital or its staff. But the Harris Health System wrote her a letter saying that they used the incident as an opportunity to remind their employees to be mindful of their remarks at all times.

In a similar situation in Virginia, a man filed a lawsuit after he secretly recorded his doctor saying he wanted to punch him in the face during a colonoscopy.

The man was ultimately awarded $500,000 in damages.

Ethel better go ahead and get her money.

There is no reason why someone should make such disparaging comments after patients have not only given you their money, but entrusted their life in your hands.

You can watch Ethel retell the story in the video below.

Comment Disclaimer: Comments that contain profane or derogatory language, video links or exceed 200 words will require approval by a moderator before appearing in the comment section. XOXO-MN