A state Supreme Court awarded a Mount Vernon woman $48 million in a malpractice suit after a 2001 surgery left her paralyzed from the waist down.

At the age of 21, Shania French says she went to the hospital after experiencing back and leg pain. She received Motrin and a referral to Dr. Keith Edwards, who a jury agreed failed to diagnose a spinal tumor the mother of two suffered from.

French, now 30, was diagnosed and treated more than 18 months after visiting Edwards and other specialists. After months of recovery, she says she went back to work but struggled to make a living as a single mother.

"I think I made it through the worst," French says.

For the full interview with Shania French, go to channel 612 on your cable box, and select iO Extra.