CLEARWATER - Kelly Larry, a 46-year-old mother of three, checked herself into Largo Medical Center in 1998 for one of medicine's more common procedures: a hysterectomy.
By the time she left 105 days later, scars crisscrossed her body, and she had lost the thumb and index finger on her left hand.
Larry said her doctor, Edison Azenha, injured her bowels during surgery and failed to quickly diagnose an ensuing infection that swelled her like a "big balloon," left her gasping for breath and caused the removal of her thumb and finger.
On Wednesday, a jury found Azenha negligent and awarded Larry $7.6-million. The jury said another doctor, Todd Sider, also should have acted more quickly to address the problems, but he had previously settled with Larry, said her Tampa attorneys, Chris Knopik and Chad Moore.
Larry and her husband, Zamy, hugged and cried after hearing the verdict. "It's been a long six years for me," she said. "But this is something I'll have to deal with for the rest of my life."
For Larry, it began in spring 1998, when she was diagnosed with a fibroid tumor. Her doctor, Azenha, recommended a hysterectomy and performed the procedure April 20, 1998. At some point during or after surgery, a hole formed in Larry's bowel, causing infections in her body.
Her condition worsened six days later, and she ultimately needed six more surgeries that left prominent scars across her chest, her attorneys said. She spent 112 days in hospitals and accrued nearly $1-million in bills and has ongoing problems, her attorneys said.
Since the hysterectomy, Larry, a sewing machine operator, said she has been unable to work. She told the jury she feels self-conscious about her hand.
Azenha's attorneys argued he performed the surgery properly and acted quickly to fix his patient's problems. The jury said Azenha was responsible for 70 percent of the negligence that led to Larry's problems.
