Woman with beach ball-sized tumor turned away from four hospitals for lack of insurance

A Georgia woman says four hospitals turned her away before one agreed to remove a massive and painful tumor.

Doris Lewis said she lost her insurance coverage when her husband died several years ago, reported WSB-TV.

But the 59-year-old said she never felt a sense of urgency to obtain new coverage until she developed the non-cancerous tumor, which has grown to the size of a beach ball in two months.

“It's getting bigger every day,” Lewis said. “I can feel it on my body. My heart hurts a little bit.”

Lewis said she didn’t realize at first that she had developed the tumor, initially believing she was just gaining weight.

“Some of the guys looked at me and said, 'You got a tumor in there that is so big -- about to pop,’” Lewis said.

Doctors have told her the benign tumor is wrapped around her ovaries, but she has been unable to have it removed because she lacks insurance.

“I've been trying to get insurance for the longest but had no success,” Lewis said.

She called 911 after experiencing intense pain recently, and she said a doctor at Emory University Hospital said she would be able to have the tumor removed even if she could not pay for the surgery.

“He said, 'You will see a doctor without money,'” Lewis said.

She’s scheduled to have surgery June 10, and doctors have told her they’ve never seen a tumor so large.

“It would feel great, now, if I could get it out today,” Lewis said. “Right now. It would be a blessing.”

Watch this video report posted online by WSB-TV: