Charlotte Simpson and Isabel McEgan don’t know each other, but share a love for spending time with friends, family and dogs, as well as ambitions to become teachers.
But, sadly, what the teenagers also share is the terrifying way they are treated by doctors who don’t even know they have the symptoms of a deadly cancer. It’s a very common situation.
Last month The Mail on Sunday revealed the harrowing story of 17-year-old Ruby Fuller, whose symptoms of blood cancer were missed seven times by six doctors, who denied she was allergic or insisted she was ‘under the weather’. One even laughed off the suggestion from Ruby’s worried mum it could be cancer, saying: ‘Not at 17 – she’s too young.’
Charlotte Simpson was 17 years old when she started experiencing symptoms of colon cancer, but by the time her doctor tested her, the cancer had spread throughout her body.
In October 2019, Charlotte, from Hampshire, who is 17 years old and studying for her A levels, started experiencing constipation, diarrhea and stomach pains.
Despite repeated trips to the GP, she was told there was nothing to worry about. Even when he started losing weight and throwing up, he suggested that he just run away. “If you were older, we would be very worried,” said the GP. ‘But you’re only 17.’
It was only when Charlotte saw blood on her stool, three months later, that she was sent for tests. The scan showed advanced bowel cancer that had spread throughout the body.
Four months later, she died, with her mother Sarah, father David, brother Elliott and boyfriend Scott by her side.
In 2018, Isabel McEgan, from Merseyside, had not yet finished her A-levels when she started complaining of a racing heart and palpitations at night.
Over the next few months, after starting a philosophy course at Liverpool University, Isabel kept visiting her GP with new symptoms. He said he was just stressed. In February 2019 he lost feeling in his chin, and was again told not to worry.
Isabel McEgan had her symptoms dismissed by her doctor, who said she was just stressed
But while on vacation in the US, her face swelled up and a Pennsylvania dentist thought her wisdom tooth might be to blame. However, while removing it, he noticed a tumor in her jaw.
Back in England, scans revealed that Isabel had kidney cancer that had spread to her liver, adrenal glands, jaw, pelvis and spine. She died in May 2020 – less than two weeks before Charlotte Simpson also died.
Recalling her daughter’s last words, Isabel’s mother Amanda, 53, said: ‘I told Isabel, “I love you.” He said, “I love you more”. That was the last thing he said to me.’
Hauntingly, Charlotte’s mother Sarah, 50, recounts saying goodbye to her daughter with exactly the same exchange.
While the families will never know for sure, both question whether an earlier diagnosis could have saved the girls. So parents Charlotte and Isabel have now joined efforts to raise awareness of the symptoms of cancer in children.
They are working with The Children’s Cancer And Leukemia Group (CCLG), who have created a poster, which they want to display in all GP surgeries, to inform patients, parents and doctors about these warning signs.
‘Early diagnosis is important,’ says CCLG CEO Ashley Ball-Gamble. ‘And it can be as simple as accessing the right information at the right time.
‘If we can get this poster in front of them, GPs should have the information they need to make a referral.’
Charlotte Simpson with her mother Sarah
Across the UK, the number of children and young people diagnosed with cancer has risen by more than 15 per cent since the 1990s, according to the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. About 3,755 under 25-year-olds are now diagnosed with cancer each year, including 1,645 under 15-year-olds.
But NHS research published last year suggests that opportunities for early diagnosis are being missed. It shows that in 41 percent of cases when a child is diagnosed with cancer, the family has taken them to the doctor at least three times with similar symptoms before being referred for tests.
Experts say one of the main reasons doctors don’t recognize the signs of cancer in children is that the symptoms are different from those seen in adults.
Campaigners say one solution is Jess’s Law – proposing new legislation that would require doctors to be quickly reviewed if a patient comes into surgery three times complaining of the same symptoms. It is named after Jessica Brady, 27, from Hertfordshire, who died in 2020 after adenocarcinoma – cancer in the mucus-producing gland that covers the organ – was missed 20 times by four doctors.
Isabel is enjoying a day out at Disneyland
But the CCLG charity says it is also important to educate doctors about the signs of the disease.
That’s why CCLG has developed a children’s cancer symptom poster.
“It can be difficult for doctors to find cases of childhood cancer because they are rare,” said Dr Sharna Shanmugavadivel, a pediatrician at Leicester Royal Infirmary. ‘Having a poster at every operation can help doctors and patients recognize that certain symptoms are early warning signs of cancer and should lead to further investigation or referral.’
In 2021, the NHS regulator, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), gave its support to the poster. However, at that time it was not committed to the distribution of funding for GP surgery.
Isabel’s mum Amanda believes the move will save lives, saying: ‘Many of Izzy’s symptoms should have been red flags.
‘It will also help parents become advocates for their children, if they can point to the symptoms on the poster and just say, “Look!”‘
- To find out more about Jess’s Law, visit: https://jessicabradycedartrust.org.uk/
