The only possibility you allow is that someone made it up?

To me it is far more likely that he heard it from someone. In my experience I've seen family members tend to either exaggerate the severity of health concerns, or simply not understand what the doctor is saying as precisely as they should. I wouldn't be surprised if he heard from someone close to Taysom who was interpreting what the doctor said, instead of actually speaking to a doctor. Someone heard it from someone close to Taysom IMO. No inside information, but I think the most logical explanation is more likely to be the correct one.