Young cancer patient feels 'fobbed off' by doctors
BBCA cancer survivor says systems in place to diagnose and treat the disease can fail to meet the needs of young patients.
Emma Colledge from Durham was diagnosed with stage three ovarian cancer in 2022 when she was 23.
She said she felt "fobbed off" by medical professionals who initially thought her symptoms were due to food intolerances or pregnancy and it took seven months to get diagnosed.
"Some of the care I had was great, some of it was not so good," she said. "If it had been earlier I might not have needed a hysterectomy, I could have been able to have kids."
Seven people aged between 13 and 24 are diagnosed with cancer each day.
The Teenage Cancer Trust said cancer care "wasn't made for young people".
It said it aimed to help younger patients with specialist nurses, support teams and hospital units.
Miss Colledge, who was supported by the team at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle, said meeting people her own age who were having similar treatment had been invaluable.
Inspired by the trust and the nurses who cared for her, she decided to retrain as an oncology nurse.
"When you get diagnosed with cancer you don't know what your life entails after that," she said.
"So, to be able to come out the other side and decide to train to be an oncology nurse and help and support other people going through it, I feel like I'm doing something good and I'm proud."
Teenage Cancer TrustMiss Colledge said after seven months of examinations a scan found a 12in (30cm) cancerous cyst and she needed three operations and six rounds of chemotherapy.
"Your life changes overnight when you are told you have cancer," she said.
"People would say to me, 'oh yeah, my grandma had cancer' and I'd say I'm not your grandma, I'm 23.
"Meeting people in the same boat was such a relief."
She urged young people to be persistent if they think something is not right and called on medical professionals to take young patients seriously.
"The government needs to put a plan in place so young people are heard," she said.
The Department of Health and Social Care said young people and teenagers with cancer faced "unique challenges".
Its Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce would "ensure their needs are carefully considered" as part of the government's national cancer plan, a spokesperson said.