Woman grieving for mother who died from misdiagnosed cancer calls for new law

A woman, grieving for her mother after she died from a cancer doctors had misdiagnosed, hopes a new law will make significant changes to policy within the NHS.

Chloe Hickman, 24, from Ipswich in Suffolk, started a Change.org petition calling on the Government to implement Louise’s Law, which would make it mandatory for benign test results to receive a second opinion from a specialist.

Under current NHS guidelines, patients seeking a second opinion is a right but not a legal one, according to The Patients Association, a charity campaigning for improvements in health and social care.

Miss Hickman’s mother, Louise Hickman, died in June last year from ovarian cancer, five years after her tumour was detected and deemed benign by doctors at Ipswich Hospital.

She believes her mother, whom she has named the legislation after, may still be alive today had her diagnosis in 2019 been detected as malignant sooner.

“She could have been offered chemotherapy, the surgery could have been brought forward, and she might still be here,” Miss Hickman told the PA news agency.

“That’s a horrible thought to navigate, and I can’t even begin to start with where my head goes, but if something like that were mandatory. It could save so many lives.”

She hopes the new legislation will not only help others who have been misdiagnosed but also help to honour her mother’s life.

“Losing my mum at such a young age, I now have to navigate life without my mum, and your mum is typically someone who helps keep you safe and shelters you from the world,” she said.

“If that law is in place, not only is that saving countless lives… but also that could be a way of my mum saving me in the future.

“She’s still looking after me and keeping me safe because (Louise’s Law) is in place.”

Miss Hickman described her mother as a “very strong, independent” person, but quickly lost her sense of autonomy after she found a cyst in January 2019, which doctors diagnosed as a mature cystic teratoma, a common non-cancerous tumour found in the ovaries.

In April 2022, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and underwent chemotherapy and surgery to remove two fluid-filled sacs weighing 11 and 19 litres each.

She was in remission for around six months before relapsing in March last year, and Miss Hickman said doctors advised her mother that the cancer diagnosis was not linked to the initial diagnosis in 2019.

“The reason it had recurred is because this cancer was linked to the 2019 specimen that was malignant at the time,” Miss Hickman explained.

“When she was ill, a lot of her independence was taken away, and that’s quite hard to navigate. It affects your outlook on life, but it also makes you feel a little bit vulnerable.”

The 24-year-old believes there is a lack of support for people who experience misdiagnoses prompting her to create Louise’s Law.

“I hear about a lot of things with the NHS, like staffing issues and wait times, but married with that, you actively see things being put in place or trying to be put in place to solve that,” she said.

“I never hear about anything for misdiagnoses. It just seems to be a fact of life, and it shouldn’t be like that.”

Miss Hickman said support for her petition “spiralled so quickly” and it has received more than 40,000 signatures so far.

She feels it is her “duty” to fight for people with benign scans and make it mandatory to receive a second opinion from doctors.

“Nothing will change the people we’ve lost if this law gets passed but it will give a sense of hope for the future, not necessarily for the individuals that it’s already affected, but for people moving forward,” she said.

“I’d like to know when enough is enough, and what bottom do we have to hit before someone looks at this situation for what it is.”

Dr Tim Leary, interim chief medical officer at East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Ipswich Hospital expressed his “deepest sympathies” to Miss Hickman and her family.

“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,” he said.

“We understand they still have some concerns and questions. We are listening and our teams will continue to support them further at this very difficult time.

“The lessons learned from Louise’s care and treatment will be used to improve our processes and services.”