Pulmonary embolism (PE) is the third most common heart and blood vessel disease after heart attack and stroke. Yet it is frequently misdiagnosed as pneumonia, a mistake that continues to claim lives. In many health facilities, the lack of CT scans, chest X-rays and trained personnel makes accurate diagnosis difficult. Shortages of blood-thinning medication further complicate care, forcing clinicians to treat patients without confirmation, as happened in Samuel’s case.