Woman, 27, Body Shamed by Doctor Who Dismissed Her Pain, Later Diagnosed with Stage 3 Cancer

Amanda Lee knew that something was wrong with her body. The then-27-year-old had spent the last few months dealing with intense stomach pain and gastrointestinal distress that made it difficult to eat, causing her to rapidly lose a worrying 35 lbs.

The Los Angeles-based actress, singer and photographer had finally secured an appointment with a gastroenterologist to figure out the issue, but he brushed off her symptoms and body shamed her, Lee told Today.

“He said, ‘Maybe that’s not such a bad thing’ that I couldn’t eat because of my pain,” she said. “He was praising the fact that I was not eating.”

He went on to say that her ability to only eat easily digestible foods like apple purées was a “blessing,” Lee said, and that she “doesn’t look malnourished.”

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