A teenager died just days after her 19th birthday after a 10lbs tumour was dismissed as being 'hormonal problems'. Liberty York was informed that it was 'highly unlikely' that she had cancer, which she later died from. Doctors suggested that her symptoms may have been the result of mastitis or an abscess.
Months of appointments before diagnosis
Having endured months of appointments, it was eventually discovered that Liberty had angiosarcoma, an aggressive soft-tissue cancer and a 10lbs tumour in her chest. The cancer had already spread to her lymph nodes by this stage.
With no hospital beds available for her, Liberty had to receive treatment at a specialist hospital. She underwent both surgery and chemotherapy.
Death two days after 19th birthday
Sadly, Liberty died in the early hours of June 1 last year just two days after celebrating her 19th birthday. Her mum, Hannah York, has now said that her daughter wasn't given a 'fighting chance'.
Speaking as a campaign was launched to stop young cancer patients slipping through the net, she said: "I'm not a medical expert but it just baffles me how they can have something so huge and don't rule out the most serious thing.
"I think the thing for me is that I always feel some guilt for trusting, for not pushing more. When your child takes a long time to be diagnosed, I think there will always be a part of you that wonders, 'Why didn't I keep pushing?'
"Throughout Liberty's cancer journey, there often didn't feel like much hope — her cancer was rare, underfunded and under-researched."
Symptoms initially thought hormonal
Liberty, of Stratford-upon-Avon, Warks, initially developed fatigue and nausea, followed by other unexplained symptoms in May 2024. Her mum noted that her GP 'suspected it might be hormonal and wanted further investigation'.
After waiting for an appointment, she was diagnosed with Addison's disease. However, when her left breast began to swell, GPs told her it was mastitis and handed out antibiotics. It took five separate trips to the doctors for breast care to get involved, who also insisted it was an abscess. Hannah recalled that the doctors told them it 'was highly unlikely to be cancer'.
Biopsy leads to cancer diagnosis
Three months after her symptoms began, a biopsy led to Liberty's cancer diagnosis on August 21, 2024. Due to no beds being available, she was sent home in spite of not being able to walk more than 10 metres and her breast swollen to ten times the normal size. "She was in unbearable pain. We hadn't been given any medication. As a mother I felt so helpless," Hannah said.
Eventually getting a bed, Liberty underwent surgery on September 10. The tumour along with her breast, surrounding tissue down to the ribcage, and all lymph nodes in her left armpit were all removed.
Cancer spreads despite treatment
Having caught pneumonia and developed blood clots in hospital, Liberty was informed in November that her cancer was now incurable after spreading to her left lung. She began palliative chemotherapy, but the cancer spread again in May last year and eventually decided to stop all treatment and returned home for end of life care.
Hannah said: "She slept for most of her birthday on 30th May. But she had requested a beautiful Bridgerton-themed celebration. The only time she asked me 'why', was when she knew she was leaving hospital to come home to die. This was something I couldn't answer, because it didn't make sense. Liberty passed away in the early hours of 1st June, peacefully in her sleep at home."
New guidance issued for soft tissue sarcoma
New guidance has been issued by health experts amid fears children with soft tissue sarcoma can wait weeks, months or even years for a correct diagnosis because symptoms are often mistaken for more common conditions.
Hannah noted: "Liberty's type of sarcoma was a particularly aggressive sarcoma and, after she was operated on, it had spread to her lungs in just six weeks.
"The difference between days and weeks to diagnosis is so important with sarcoma- she didn't get a fighting chance. I want my awareness work to ensure that some good comes from Liberty's death and to help other families."
Dr Sharna Shanmugavadivel, a paediatric emergency medicine doctor and the lead for CCLG: The Children and Young People's Cancer Association's Child Cancer Smart campaign, stated: "Time to diagnosis for soft tissue sarcoma has been shown to have a significant, independent association with overall survival in children, yet it is one of the longest among all childhood cancers.
"One of the major pitfalls in diagnosing soft tissue sarcoma in children is recognising when something doesn't fit the expected picture. We are seeing that a lump may be attributed to an injury despite no clear history of trauma, mistaken for a lipoma or bruise, or continue to be diagnosed an infection when it has not responded to antibiotics.
"Recognising that it has not improved as expected or is getting worse and investigating further is crucial. Delays in recognising that something is not right can have serious consequences, allowing a cancer to remain undiagnosed for months or, in some cases, even years."
She continued: "Longer delays in diagnosis can lead to poorer outcomes - meaning children are being diagnosed with more advanced disease, requiring more intensive treatment, and in some cases, limb removal or surgery.
"We have created these guidelines because reducing these avoidable delays has the potential to reduce treatment-related harm and save the lives of children across the UK."
