Ruby Fuller was a 17-year-old who seemed to have her entire life ahead of her. Per The Sun, the first signs that something wasn't quite right was Fuller experiencing shoulder pain, fatigue, and a swollen face. These symptoms lasted for weeks, spurring Fuller and her family to seek medical advice. Reportedly, Fuller was told she was "under the weather." The shoulder pain was attributed to her heavy backpack, and her puffy face was afflicted by "allergies."
When her mother, Emma Jones, brought up her concerns that Fuller's symptoms could be related to cancer, they were allegedly brushed off. Fuller was "too young." Six different doctors would reach a similar conclusion. "I was getting more and more worried. I googled Ruby's symptoms and read about lung cancer cases where a tumor pressing on a vein in the chest can cause swelling. So we went back to the GP," Jones recalled.
"When the doctor laughed and said it couldn't be cancer, it should have been a relief. But her symptoms carried on getting worse." Finally, a doctor decided to give Fuller a thorough examination. A raised lymph node was discovered, as well as unexplained bruising on Fuller's stomach. After being sent to a specialist, the diagnosis came in. Fuller had Stage 3 acute lymphoblastic T-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. There was a three-and-a-half-inch tumor in her chest.
18-Year-Old Is Diagnosed With Cancer After Allegedly Being Dismissed By Doctors Multiple Times
"We now know this is a key symptom of lymphoma. And the unexplained bruising should also have been a red flag for blood cancer. Why weren't these things picked up?" Jones stated. Subsequently, Fuller underwent chemotherapy and a stem-cell transplant. Initially, her prognosis seemed hopeful. However, weeks later, the cancer returned, reaching a terminal status.
Three weeks afterward, Fuller passed away. "It took eight GP visits before Ruby was diagnosed. She hadn't been to the GP for years - but as she kept getting more unwell, she kept going back to the surgery again and again," Jones said. "But she wasn't taken seriously. She was dismissed - made to feel that she was being an over-anxious teenager and I was being an over-anxious mother."
"We will never know whether Ruby could have been saved if she had been diagnosed earlier," Jones concluded. Since then, Fuller's family started a Live Kindly, Live Loudly fundraiser meant to raise funds for research into T-cell lymphoma and leukemia.
