A Texas County man was among those who received excessive radiation during cancer treatments at CoxHealth in Springfield.
Harold Mayberry, a Plato resident who is now deceased, was among 76 cancer patients who received too much radiation after equipment was miscalibrated, according to his widow, Janis.
Mr. Mayberry, who died in April 2007 at age 72, was given a total of 58 percent too much radiation, according to relatives who contacted the hospital system after they suspected that he might be among those treated during the timeframe.
Janis Mayberry said he was given the radiation therapy on March 21, 2007, and died five weeks after beginning the treatment. At least 48 of the 76 overexposed are now dead, though it is unknown whether the exposure contributed to the deaths.
The overdoses, which began from the moment a BrainLAB attachment was installed and miscalibrated in 2004, are leading some lawmakers to consider pushing for tighter controls on the inspection process and the workers handling the power equipment. The mistake was discovered late last year.
Members of the Mayberry family met recently with CoxHealth personnel at the Hulston Cancer Center. They were told that Mayberry, a civil service retiree and former sheriff’s deputy in northwest Texas County, received 40 percent too much radiation in one tumor and 18 percent too much in a second one. CoxHealth apologized for the error.