Jennifer Capasso, a transgender woman living in Queens, had grown used to the cycle of scans, hospital stays and surgeries that became routine after her diagnosis of metastatic rectal cancer. Over several years, doctors found tumors in her liver, her intestines and her lungs.
The repeated operations left her with a growing sense of frustration, not only about her illness but about the moments she never witnessed. She was unconscious every time her surgeons operated and she wondered what was said in the operating room while she was under anesthesia.
Ahead of yet another procedure in March 2022 at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Capasso decided she wanted answers. As she was being prepared for anesthesia, she activated the audio recorder on her phone. She intended to listen afterward to understand the tone and behavior of the medical staff responsible for her care. As she put it, knowledge is power.
She did not listen to the recording for several weeks. When she finally did, she heard casual conversation among members of the operating room team before the procedure began. Much of it sounded like routine chatter, including someone asking whether anyone wanted coffee. Then the dialogue shifted.
At one point, a voice on the recording can be heard stating that the patient still has man parts. Another voice expresses confusion about transgender identity in general. While the audio is muffled, Capasso believes the comments referred to her anatomy and reflected dismissive or biased attitudes.
Capasso, now forty two, has endured years of treatment while trying to track each new development in her cancer prognosis. She spent evenings at her apartment in Long Island City reading medical research and recalculating her odds of survival after each scan. The comments she heard on the recording left her shaken. She says it confirmed a fear she had carried quietly throughout her treatment that some members of her care team did not fully respect her identity.
Her experience highlights concerns raised by transgender patients nationwide who say that misgendering, offhand remarks or disrespectful conduct from medical staff can undermine trust in the healthcare system. Advocates warn that such experiences may discourage patients from seeking care or lead to delays in diagnosis and treatment.
Memorial Sloan Kettering has not commented publicly on the recording. Hospitals and medical organizations in New York and elsewhere have repeatedly emphasized the need for comprehensive staff training to ensure respectful, safe and equitable care for transgender patients.
For Capasso, the recording remains a painful reminder of a period marked by fear and uncertainty. She says she hopes her story will help spark changes that protect other transgender patients who may feel vulnerable in medical settings. For her, the decision to record that day was driven by a simple desire to understand what happens in the moments when she cannot speak for herself.
