Mum's benign cancer death inspires Louise's Law

A woman calling for extra checks on benign tumours has delivered a 60,000-name petition to Number 10 on the anniversary of her mother's death.

Chloe Hickman, from Ipswich, wants to establish Louise's Law, which would make it mandatory for all health professionals to obtain a second opinion on tumours they do not deem to be malignant.

The law is named after her beloved mother, who died in June 2024, five years after consultants at Ipswich Hospital concluded a mass on her ovary was benign.

Speaking to the BBC after handing over the petition, the 25-year-old said the experience was surreal, adding: "I think my mum would be overwhelmingly proud because if she was here she would have fought it."

"I now have to fight that fight for her," she said.

"I would like to think she has seen this today. It was poignant to do it on the one year anniversary [of her death]."

The hospital said lessons learned from Louise's care and treatment "will be used to improve our processes and services".

According to figures gathered by Cancer Research UK between 2017 and 2019, there are about 4,100 ovarian cancer deaths in the UK every year.

Louise was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in April 2022 and underwent surgery and chemotherapy.

The 47-year-old died on 26 June last year, after initially being told in 2019 that a tumour was benign.

According to Ms Hickman, her mother was initially given the all-clear and assured the mass was not linked to the one that had been discovered previously.

But in March 2024, after becoming unwell, an oncologist reviewed her scans and, according to Ms Hickman, ruled that the very first biopsy had been malignant and the cancer had metastasised.

Following a subsequent investigation, doctors ruled in a report seen by the BBC that she had "come to significant harm due to the delay in diagnosis".

"I am very hopeful [this campaign will result in real change] and I am also very stubborn, so I will keep going until it does," added Ms Hickman.

"Patients should be a priority but I don't think they are, so this could ultimately save lives.

"But action needs to be taken as quickly as possible because the longer we leave it, the worse it is going to get."

Chloe was joined at Downing Street by her dad, David Hickman, her best friend, Madeline Scowen, and her fiancé, Brandon Wild.

"This last year hasn't been easy and there's been days where Chloe has been down in the dumps and struggling mentally," said Ms Hickman's fiance, Brandon Wild, 23.

"A year ago when she told me about this idea I would have said we wouldn't be where we are today, but here we are, outside Downing Street, and hopefully we can now encourage real change.

"I can't put it into words [how proud of Chloe I am], it's just extraordinary."

According to the government website, petitions which reach 100,000 signatures are "almost always debated".

But on some occasions, MPs might consider a petition for a debate before it reaches that number.

Chloe's Change campaign has currently more than 58,000 names.

"Me and my best friend got really excited when it hit 100 signatures, I didn't see it hitting a thousand, let alone what it is now, so that is really surreal," she said.

"I don't think I will ever be able to thank them as much as I want to but they are the reason I am here.

"Thank you from the bottom of my heart."

Ms Hickman has now vowed to "keep the pressure" on decision makers, with the hope of one day seeing her bid for a change in the law become a reality.

Until then, the Department of Health and Social Care has "committed to turning the NHS around so cancer patients are diagnosed and treated on time".

By March 2026, the expectation will be that 80% of patients are either diagnosed or given an all-clear within four weeks.

"We are investing an extra £1.5bn in new surgical hubs and AI scanners to help catch more cancers quicker, opening community diagnostic centres for longer, and investing in research," a spokesperson told the BBC.

Tim Leary, interim chief medical officer at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Ipswich Hospital, extended his "deepest sympathies to Louise's family".

He added: "We launched a patient safety investigation following the delay of her cancer diagnosis. We have met with her family and shared the outcome of that investigation.

"Our teams will continue to support them at this very difficult time and the lessons learned from Louise's care and treatment will be used to improve our processes and services."

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