A 32-year-old PE teacher who was a regular at the gym, a scuba diver, and even swam the English Channel was told she had heartburn when she started having trouble swallowing. But Victoria Rodwell, from Kent, says she is heartbroken after being given the true diagnosis and now fears any day could be her last.
A Horror Movie from Start to Finish
It has been a horror movie from start to finish, said Victoria. I am heartbroken and devastated that my life has been ruined. And I am terrified knowing that I will have to have treatment for the rest of the little life I have left.
I cannot participate in sports like I used to. I cannot do anything like I used to, actually. I am tired all the time, I feel sick having to take these medications and inject myself. I have been told that I will never be able to have a family now as a result of this.
And, at the end of it, are the doctors who could not be bothered to do the right checks. Now, all the opportunities myself and my husband were working and living for have been taken away in an instant.
Symptoms Dismissed Repeatedly
Victoria started having issues with swallowing in September 2024. Each meal felt like food was getting stuck, which impacted her appetite and subsequently her weight. In just five months, she lost 3 stone 8 pounds.
When visiting her doctors, though, she claims her concerns were dismissed. She said: I returned again and again as my symptoms worsened. My pain only increased and the ability to live a normal life disappeared. No matter how many urgent tests or hospital visits after I nearly choked to death, there was no follow-up or explanation – or treatment. Instead, I was offered antidepressants and heartburn medication.
Diagnosis and Devastation
When it became impossible to ignore her decline, her case escalated. And in January 2026, she was diagnosed with stage four oesophageal cancer after a scope was not able to pass through due to the size of the mass. Without treatment, it is unclear how long she has left.
Following her engagement to her now husband, Ben, 30, in 2025, they originally had plans to wed later this year. As it was unclear if she would make it to then, they had to push their wedding forward to the start of 2026.
Fundraising for Private Treatment
The NHS says her case is incurable, and she is raising funds for private treatment on GoFundMe, with 50,152 pounds raised out of 55,000 pounds so far. The funds would see her get specialist cancer care in the UK or abroad, alongside crucial support.
Currently, she is having 12 rounds of chemotherapy every two weeks, along with being on steroids, injections, and anti-sickness tablets. The side effects have left her with pins and needles in her hands, nosebleeds, and feeling extremely cold and tired daily.
A Life Stripped Away
It has been tough for Victoria, especially as her once active lifestyle has now been stripped away for good. She added: I feel like my whole life has been completely ruined because I was not being listened to. If this had been picked up when I first said something was wrong, I would not be worrying that each day will be my last.
It has been over a year of missed opportunities, delayed investigations, and repeated reassurance, all while I deteriorated in plain sight. I have been told I will not ever be able to have children and the chance of a normal life again is non-existent. I was fit, healthy, and a non-smoker. Now, I am weak, unable to work, and a shell of myself.
Even now, while being told my cancer is incurable, an appointment was cancelled with just an hour's notice. It exposed a systemic failure in the NHS, where patients with less complex or common conditions are repeatedly overlooked. And it has left me – and so many others – with devastating, life-changing, and life-limiting consequences.
The NHS trust was contacted for comment.
