Tragedy becomes much worse if it could have been avoided. That is the case of Charlotte Simpson and Isabel McEgan. Two teenagers who never knew each other but shared the same heartbreaking story: their doctors failed to diagnose them with cancer, leading to their deaths. Worst of all, they dismissed any concerns as they were "too young" to have cancer, which proved to be fatal.
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Charlotte, a 17-year-old girl from Hampshire, England, began experiencing some symptoms in October 2019. She experienced constipation, alongside stomach pain and diarrhea, according to the Daily Mail. Despite her visiting her GP multiple times, she was reassured that there was nothing to worry about.
Her symptoms worsened as she began to lose weight and started vomiting. However, her GP again dismissed any concerns. "If you were older, we'd be extremely worried," Simpson's GP told her. According to the GP, since Charlotte was 17, there was nothing to worry about. In that regard, Dr. Sharna Shanmugavedivel, a pediatrician told the Daily Mail that spotting cancer in patients of that age can be hard because GPs "encounter them rarely."
Eventually, Charlotte found blood in her stool, which led to her getting tested. Turns out, Charlotte had bowel cancer and it had spread to her body. Accompanied by her parents, her brother, and her boyfriend, Charlotte passed away just four months later.
Kidney Cancer, Undiagnosed
Isabel started experiencing her symptoms in 2018. She felt palpitations and felt her heart racing at night. Similarly to Charlotte, she began visiting her GP multiple times as her condition worsened. She was told she was just stressed, dismissing any serious concerns. Despite Isabel losing feeling in her chin in February 2019, her GP stood by his assessment.
While on a holiday in the United States, Isabel's face swelled up. Thinking it was a wisdom tooth, a dentist removed it, thinking it would solve the issue. However, the dentist found a tumor instead. When Isabel returned to the UK, tests revealed that she had kidney cancer, which had spread to many parts of her body, including her jaw, liver, spine, adrenal glands, and pelvis.
Cancer took Isabel's life in May 2020, just two weeks before Charlotte passed away similarly. Isabel's mother Amanda, and Charlotte's mother, Sarah, both said "I love you" to their daughters. They both responded "Love you more," in a heartbreaking coincidence.
Moving Forward
Now, both families had to struggle with the deaths of their daughters. Moreover, the idea of an early diagnosis possibly saving their lives will always cross their minds. 'Early diagnosis is vital," said Ashely Ball-Gamble. She is the Children's Cancer and Leukaemia Group's chief executive, who is working alongside the families of Charlotte and Isabel to spread awareness. They also developed a poster for all GPs to consult, showing warning signs they could encounter during assessments.
"And could be as simple as accessing the right information at the right time," she continued. "If we can get this poster in front of them, GPs should have the information they need to make referrals." Dr. Shanmugavadivel also shares the same sentiment, saying that the poster could "trigger further investigation or referral.
Amanda, Isabel's mother, spoke about the benefits of having the poster available for all GPs. 'Many of Izzy's symptoms should have been red flags," she said. "It would also help parents be advocates for their children, if they could point at symptoms on a poster and just say, 'Look!'"
Both families can only hope that GPs in the UK will be able to early diagnose cancer more frequently moving forward. By using the poster or through legislation like the proposed Jess's Law - which seeks to further evaluate cases of patients visiting by complaining about the same symptoms three times -, things can improve, and lives could be saved.
