A British woman had part of her lung removed following a suspected cancer diagnosis, only to be told two weeks later that she didn’t actually have the disease.

Erica Hay, 53, from the Doncaster suburb of Balby in South Yorkshire, England, was told by doctors that they were “99.9% certain” that she had cancer, after she went to the Doncaster Royal Infirmary hospital in July 2020 with pains in her shoulder and across her chest, per the BBC.

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Hay underwent multiple tests before the suspected lung cancer diagnosis; however, a biopsy couldn’t be carried out due to Covid-19 pandemic restrictions at the time, the outlet noted.

The mother of three recalled to the BBC, “I had to go home and tell my children and parents that I had cancer. I tried to be strong for them, but I just fell to pieces,” adding, “You hear the word cancer and you automatically think you’re going to die.”

Hay ended up having an operation in September 2020 to remove the lower lobe of her right lung, according to local outletDoncaster Free Presswhich listed Hay’s name as Erica Flatley.

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However, two weeks after the surgery, she was told that she didn’t have cancer, and the mass in her lung had been caused by pneumonia, the publication reported.

She said, “At my two-week review, the surgeon told me I was in the one percent of people who didn’t have cancer, and that it was likely to have been an infection,” according to the outlet.

Hay, who has worked in the U.K.’s National Health Service (NHS) for over 30 years, continued, “I was just as shocked to find out I didn’t have cancer as I was when they first told me I did. At the end of the day, an infection can be treated with medication, I didn’t need life-changing surgery,” per theDoncaster Free Press.

She claimed that the operation has left her with breathing difficulties, telling the BBC: “I’ve had asthma since I was 17, but my respiratory problems have increased unbelievably since the surgery,” adding, “It’s completely floored me. Just talking or walking into the kitchen can set my symptoms off.”

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“Sometimes I feel like my lungs are too heavy for my body, other times my breathing difficulties are so bad it’s like I’ve had the operation again,” Hay added to the outlet. “I am so very, very grateful that it wasn’t cancer, but I had to go through all of that and know this is probably never going to get any better now.”

“It affects my work, my daily living, and at times it makes me feel inadequate as a (mom) and a wife,” she continued.

Hay, who works as a neonatal nurse assistant at Doncaster Royal Infirmary, is now considering early retirement on health grounds, per theDoncaster Free Press.

Hay has since pursued a clinical negligence claim with Sheffield-based law firm Medical Solicitors, and the case was resolved with a settlement, a spokesperson for the company said, per the BBC. A spokesperson for Medical Solicitors noted that the hospital trusts involved hadn’t admitted liability or causation.

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Acting executive medical director at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Dr. Nick Mallaband, apologized to Hay and her family in a statement released to the BBC.

“We are sorry for the distress experienced by Mrs Hay and (recognize) the impact this has had on her and her family,” the statement read.

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“This case took place during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, which presented exceptional challenges and restrictions across the NHS. However, this does not lessen the importance of learning from what happened,” the doctor added.

“Since that time, we have strengthened our clinical processes and communication with patients to ensure their concerns are heard and acted upon,” Mallaband continued.

The statement concluded, “These improvements are part of our ongoing work to help ensure something like this does not happen again.”

A spokesperson for Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and law firm Medical Solicitors didn’t immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information.

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