I was highly offended by a recent story and letter to the editor in your paper, both of which talked about how victims of medical malpractice and their lawyers are just looking to “hit the jackpot.”

My wife, Maureen, died in 1998 at age 43 because of malpractice. My lawyers from the Foley law firm won the largest malpractice verdict in the history Monroe County -- $5.4 million. Funny, I don’t feel like I “hit the jackpot.” And my two sons, who no longer have their mom, don’t feel like they “hit the jackpot” either. As for my lawyers, they would rather never have to try a case like Maureen’s again. And as for their fees, they were worth every penny.

Maureen didn’t sue her doctors to “hit the jackpot.” She was outraged that three different doctors over a period of two and a half years failed to diagnose her breast cancer, even though she kept going back and complaining about the lumps in her breast. Maureen sued her doctors because she wanted to change the system so that the same thing didn’t happen to other women. It’s pathetic to say, but the system hasn’t changed one bit.

I have a proposal that will eliminate misdiagnosis of breast cancer, save thousands of women’s lives and reduce the number of lawsuits. I would welcome any doctor to call me anytime to discuss my proposal in more detail, or visit my Web site at www.maureensmission.org.

To Dr. Joseph Anistranski of the Luzerne County Medical Society, who wrote the letter to the editor, and Bob Surrick of the Politically Active Physicians Association, I say shame on you. If you want to eliminate lawsuits, eliminate malpractice. And don’t try to tell me and my boys that Maureen’s life was only worth $250,000.