ChatGPT is now used more like a medical device, providing judgments that, at times, can equal those of experienced physicians. That happened to 27-year-old Marley Garnreiter, who carried her symptoms to an AI chatbot. After ChatGPT indicated she had blood cancer, she dismissed the warning and attributed her condition to anxiety and depression. Unfortunately, her ultimate diagnosis vindicated ChatGPT: she had Hodgkin's lymphoma.
A routine checkup turns into a nightmare.
Like many others, Marley went to AI for guidance, and ChatGPT as a quick replacement for Google. Not knowing anything worse was going on, she initially believed her symptoms: fatigue, weight loss, night sweats, and itchy skin, were due to the emotional distress of losing her father to colon cancer. Her doctors also reassured her that her symptoms were perhaps stress-induced, as her blood tests came back normal.
But when the chronic fatigue and chest tightness became unbearable, she finally consulted a doctor. A scan revealed a tumor on her left lung, and a biopsy confirmed the ghastly truth: she had cancer.
I felt I was processing the grief well. I thought it must be something. In May I sent a video to my friends - I had asked Chat GPT and it said I had blood cancer, but I ignored it. We were all skeptical and were told to only consult real doctors
Marley Garnreiter, Strategist, Paris, France
Emotional weight and the path forward
Marley, a French strategist, was devastated when she learned the news. "I was so frustrated. I thought everything was unfair. I didn't want my family to have to go through this again," she explained. Having lost her father to cancer in January of 2024, the mere thought of yet another battle against the disease filled her with terror.
Around Christmas time I started to feel something was wrong. I had a constant pain in my chest. I was tired all the time," she said and decided to consult the doctor in January.
I started to lose a lot of weight when he'd just passed away. I kept eating normal amounts of food but I thought it must be the anxiety making me lose a lot of weight. I accepted you lose weight with grief. I was having night sweats and itchy skin. Again I thought it was anxiety,
Marley Garnreiter, Strategist, Paris, France
Despite the shock, Marley is undergoing chemotherapy, with 4-6 cycles of treatment in tow. She has also taken steps to preserve future options, freezing her eggs before undergoing treatment.
(Input from various sources)
(Rehash/Muhammad Faisal/MSM)
