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She was devastated when she was diagnosed with dementia in 2016.
A bout of erratic behaviour and memory problems had Jackie Dibb fearing she'd had a stroke, The Mirror reports.
A visit to the doctor confirmed the worst – she was going to die. The grandmother (62) from Hull in the UK was diagnosed with incurable dementia, and given only five years left to live.
After her “death sentence” was delivered, Jackie was determined to make the most of the time she had left, spending £10 000 (R162 000) on holidays and gifts for her family, the Daily Mail reports.
Jackie had also already said goodbye to her 12-year-old granddaughter.
“I'll still be here, but I'll be like one of those zombies you see in films,” she reportedly told her.
It was only after she had spent all her savings and said her goodbyes that Jackie discovered she had been misdiagnosed. One year later, another scan revealed her symptoms were a result of anxiety and depression – not dementia.
Now Jackie and her husband Rob (61) are broke.
“We feel embarrassed to be honest, we said goodbye to family everything – we feel crushed,” Rob said.
“At the moment we are treading water with money – we're up to our noses anyway.”
“We emptied our pensions and savings, we flew to Turkey on a big family holiday and bought things we didn't need.”
Rob, who took an early retirement to take care of Jackie, said he was advised to give his wife whatever she asked for while she could “enjoy it”.
“We spent shed-loads of money, adapting the home, going on trips, you name it,” he said.
The couple has since received an apology from the hospital and has decided not to sue.
“I was speaking to a different neurologist who said this is the biggest mistake he has ever heard about,” Rob told The Sun.
“In the apology letter, there are 24 excuses but not a reason why this happened.
“But if I sue the NHS, then that might be another incubator not on a ward — and a kid who wouldn’t have a fighting chance.”
Sources: Daily Mail, The Sun, The Mirror
