Review into amputation underway after patient says wrong leg removed at Grace Hospital

A patient safety review is underway after a 48-year-old man went in for an amputation of his right leg at Grace Hospital, but came out of the procedure to find out his left leg below his knee had been removed.

Jason Kennedy, a former commercial fisher, knows he may eventually lose both legs but he said his right foot was in worse condition due to a bone infection he lives with and that's the one his doctor at a different hospital told him would have to be amputated.

"Coming out of anesthesia and when I woke up from my bed, my recovery area, I was in disbelief. Disbelief that they took the wrong leg," Kennedy said. "I knew for a fact they did take the wrong leg."

Kennedy, who has been living in Winnipeg but is originally from Bloodvein First Nation, said he went to Seven Oaks General Hospital on Oct. 23 because of pain and bleeding in his right foot. He said the amputation at Grace Hospital was ordered on Oct. 28 and took place Oct. 31.

Kennedy said he was taken from Seven Oaks to the Grace before 7 a.m. He said it wasn't until after the amputation that he found out his leg left was removed.

"I was just wondering if this was a bad dream," Kennedy said. "The pain is still in my [right] foot and it's there right now as we speak."

A spokesperson for the Winnipeg Regional Healthy Authority said in an emailed statement patient confidentiality limits the amount of information it can provide "in this complex clinical situation."

"We are aware of the incident and the distress it has caused the patient, their family and the care providers," the spokesperson said. "Members of the care team have personally met with the patient to offer their sincere apologies and to discuss next steps."

"The incident is currently under review by our patient safety team to identify potential system learning opportunities. The results of this review will be shared with the patient once complete."

Kennedy said his surgeon and "two other colleagues" apologized to him. 

He said he is speaking out to prevent this from happening to someone else, but he's already accepted the fact his left leg is gone and is offering his forgiveness.

"I knew right away it was my left leg that was gone and I thought, 'this can't be happening,'" Kennedy said.  

"All I could do was think, 'why is this happening to me?' I was under the impression it was going to be my right leg because that's where the worst pain is.

"And my first thoughts were forgiveness is in my mind, I could forgive a person easily because I learned from my family like my mom and my dad and my grandma. I learned from them how forgiveness is important."