A mother in the US has died from cervical cancer after doctors told her she was suffering from common post-natal symptoms.
Louise Gleadell, 38, was diagnosed with the disease in February 2016 after initially being told she was “fine” by doctors and that she was tired from breastfeeding.
By the time doctors did finally picked up on the cancer, there was nothing they could do as it had spread to too much of her body.
Gleadell, desperate to get as much precious time as she could with her family, spent upwards of £200,000 (over $AU360,000) on care at the Hallwang Clinic in Germany, according to The Sun.
She however tragically lost her battle over the weekend, passing away surrounded by family including her three sons, Joseph, 13, Mateo, 11, and Jude, two.
“Our beautiful Louise passed away peacefully this morning surrounded by love,” a message on her Facebook page read.
“We are eternally grateful for all the love and support you all gave us over the last 2 years.
“Louise never ever gave up the fight — she did everything she possibly could to be here for as long as possible for her three boys.
Speaking to The Sun last year, Gleadell revealed that doctors initially dismissed her symptoms as a side effect of breastfeeding and low calcium levels.
“The doctors kept saying to me, ‘Oh, it’s because you’re breastfeeding. Baby is waking up in the night, you’re not getting as much sleep,’” she said.
“Eventually they did blood tests and when I rang up to ask if they’d had the results they said it was all fine. They just said my calcium was a bit low.
“He also looked at my cervix several times and told me that it looked normal when there was a great big tumour on it.”
According to Cancer Australia, it is estimated that 258 women will die from cervical cancer this year alone.
You need a Cervical Screening Test if:
- you’re aged between 25 and 74
- have ever been sexually active
- you’re HPV-vaccinated or not
For more information on why cervical cancer screening is so important, head to www.cancerinstitute.org.au
This article originally appeared on Marie Claire
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