One victim of 'cancer doc' who was never sick, tells her story

Patty Hester will have a lot to say when she addresses the court.
    
She was treated by Dr. Fatid Fata and it turns out she never even had cancer.

We will know in just a few days how much time Fata will spend in prison and for one of his former patients she's closer to having some closure.

"It's like looking in the eyes of the devil," Hester said. "I mean really who are you. What can make you do that when you have your own children?"

Those are questions Patty Hester may never get answers to. But questions she could not help but ask, when she saw Fata in court Monday.

The 61-year-old Clarkston woman  is one of Fata's former patients. She was falsely diagnosed with blood cancer and underwent iron infusions and was constantly pressured to undergo chemotherapy.

For years Patty Hester lived as if she was dying.

"I had a list, you know, it was a rushed bucket list," she said. "I took 'Sar Bear' or Sarah to Disney World she was 5. We had to go to Disney World, we had to go out and see Kyle, my granddaughter."

She didn't know the treatments were unnecessary, the life changes were in vain and the diagnosis was a ruse until after Fata was arrested.

"I had to process it again like hearing you have cancer," Hester said. "Now I have to process it. Three years of my life has been a lie."

Now Fata is being sentenced for misdiagnosing patients in order to con the government of millions - about $32 million total. 

Prosecutors want a federal judge to give him 175 years in prison. Fata is asking for no more than 25. 

"I think he should never see daylight again, he should spend the rest of his life in there," Hester said. "It's not just what he took away from me, but everyone else."

Michael Hester is Patty's husband. 

"It seems like I'm supposed to wake up and this is all a dream, all a nightmare," Michael said. "I went into a depression, I started drinking heavy and picked up smoking. I never smoked in my life and usually I'm a pretty gritty guy. But this just hit me like a ton of bricks."

Donna Mackenzie is representing Patty in a civil lawsuit.

"You've seen someone who has the worst traits you can imagine in a human being," Mackenzie said. "And how it's impacted all of these victims 

"I'm sure most people will agree there is no amount of money that can compensate them.  But hopefully we can help some of these victims and their families put their lives back together."

More than 500 patients were victims of fata's malpractice but only about  50 are represented in civil lawsuits.

Several people were kept from filing suits because of the statutes of limitations.
 
Patty Hester will address Fata in court Tuesday.