Yinka Sowemimo-Coker, a 65-year-old solicitor from London, was misdiagnosed with anaemia for eight months before finally being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in January 2019. Despite being given a 3% chance of survival, her latest scans show no cancer detected in her body.
Early Symptoms and Misdiagnosis
In April 2018, Yinka began sweating profusely while climbing stairs at a work event, which she found unusual. She also experienced sudden back and stomach pain. Over the next eight months, she was admitted to hospital four times. Doctors initially diagnosed her with anaemia and later a virus. Surface-level blood tests and a colonoscopy showed no abnormalities, so she received only blood transfusions and intravenous paracetamol.
By January 2019, Yinka had dropped from a size 20 to a size 6, was jaundiced, and could no longer walk properly. Her condition became critical with a fever over 40 degrees, and she was admitted to King's College Hospital.
Diagnosis and Treatment
On January 2, 2019, after three weeks of extensive tests including MRI, X-ray, PET scan, and CT scan, Yinka was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at age 57. Doctors told her she had a 3% chance of survival. She underwent a 12-hour surgery using irreversible electroporation, a new technique that uses electrical currents to destroy cancer cells, followed by six months of chemotherapy through a clinical trial.
According to Pancreatic Cancer UK, pancreatic cancer is the “deadliest common cancer” that kills half of people within three months of diagnosis due to vague symptoms and late detection.
Reflection and Advocacy
Yinka told PA Real Life: “I was always going to the hospital and they were discarding me. I felt unseen. I felt unheard. Sometimes I was even thinking, am I sure there’s something wrong with me? I started to second guess myself.”
Her daughter Ope asked about survival rate and was told 3%, causing her to weep. Yinka set up her own charity, DChanger UK, in 2021 to support others with cancer through befriending and counselling.
Pancreatic Cancer UK chief executive Diana Jupp said: “Access to clinical trials is appallingly low for pancreatic cancer and is denying too many people the possibility of more precious time with their loved ones.”
Yinka now has regular check-ups and remains grateful: “For now, all I can do is pray and remain positive. I am already so grateful that I am still here to tell my story.”
