In the small farming community of Fremont, Nebraska, townspeople welcomed Dr. Tahir Javed, an acclaimed doctor as the first full-time oncologist at the new, local cancer treatment center. But the fanfare soon turned into a nightmare when 857 cancer patients were subjected to a deadly, blood-borne virus passed on by reused, contaminated syringes during chemotherapy treatments. In all, ninety-nine of these patients were diagnosed with the hepatitis C virus, making this incident the largest healthcare-transmission outbreak in United States history to date.

While undergoing breast cancer treatment at the Fremont clinic, Evelyn McKnight contracted the virus. A Never Event chronicles the true account of her experience, as well as the stories of several other victims of the outbreak.  It is co-written with Travis Bennington, a practicing civil trial attorney who successfully represented nineteen victims of the Nebraska hepatitis C tragedy.

A Never Event - a term used to describe a preventable medical tragedy-is a searing story of recklessness, deception and betrayal.  It's part mystery, part courtroom drama.

While A Never Event reveals the story of the Nebraska hepatitis C outbreak, there have been 130,000 patients in cities throughout America that have received letters notifying them of possible exposure to blood-borne diseases in the last ten years. The facts are startling: healthcare providers have reused syringes and other equipment intended for one time use to save time and money, so they can cram more procedures (and profits) into a day’s schedule.

“I went to the doctor to be healed of cancer, but I came away with a second life-threatening illness,” says Ms. McKnight. “There is a huge sense of betrayal.”

“History untold is history repeated,” says co-author Travis Bennington. “By telling the story of the Nebraska hepatitis C tragedy, we hope future communities will be spared such pain and suffering.”