An inquest has begun near Hull England in the case of the death of 19 year old Christopher Chaffey.  The boy’s family is claiming medical negligence by his doctor, who misdiagnosed a 4.4 pound tumor as anxiety.

According to Chaffey’s mother, her son had visited his family practitioner several times over a period of 15 months complaining of hair loss and excessive sweating.  His concerns were dismissed by his doctor, Joseph Austin, and chalked up to a simple case of anxiety.  At one point it is alleged that Dr. Austin actually told Chaffey to “grow up a bit and stop worrying” and that there was “nothing wrong”.

In reality, the teen was actually suffering from a 4.4 pound tumor in his chest which affected his heart and lungs and ultimately contributed to his death.

The inquest will continue next week.