Doctors stated 15-year-old’s breast lump was hormonal – two years later, she was lifeless
Isla Sneddon’s family believe her breast cancer symptoms would have been investigated more thoroughly if she had been an adult when she first sought medical help aged 15
Isla Sneddon died age 17
The family of a schoolgirl who died two years after going to the doctors about a lump in her breast say she may have survived if she had been treated as an adult.
Isla Sneddon discovered the lump in 2022 and was told it was probably benign due to hormonal fluctuations. She was then advised to have a biopsy – but the referral was downgraded because of her age.
By the time Isla received her breast cancer diagnosis, her family were informed that she had just six months to a year left to live. Her parents, Mark and Michelle, did everything possible to care for their daughter throughout her battle with the disease, before she died in March last year, at only 17 years old.
The couple are convinced that had Isla’s symptoms been handled in the same manner as they would be for an adult, Isla’s cancer might have been treatable, and their daughter would be with them today. They are now calling for Isla’s Law to prevent similar tragedies from happening.
Mark said: “We trusted what we were told. We believe that if Isla had been an adult presenting with the same symptoms, there would be a lot more done.
“There would have been a longer investigation – she wouldn’t have been told it was something she’d grow out of. We’ll never know, but we believe that if that had been caught then, it maybe wouldn’t have got to where it was.
“I don’t want another father or mother to feel like we do. We’re empty, we’re lost – I would never wish this on another family.
“If this gets passed, it can save another child from going through what Isla went through. Isla was the best daughter you could ask for.
“She was bright and bubbly. She had a really good sense of humour, and she was beautiful. Me and her mum adored her – we just wanted her to have the best life she could have.”
During the summer of 2024, Isla became critically unwell due to her then-undiagnosed cancer, and was rushed to her local hospital in Airdrie, before enduring ten weeks of scans and treatments across various Scottish hospitals.
“Isla and my wife were in Rome for a holiday, and the next week she took not well and ended up in hospital,” Mark revealed.
“We were never thinking it was cancer – there was no history of cancer in mine or my wife’s family. It was the last thing on our mind.
“When she took unwell and went into the NHS, she had fantastic care – but by the time they diagnosed Isla with cancer, it was too late.
“At the end of 10 weeks in hospital, they told us Isla had cancer and she would be transferred to the Beatson. Me and my wife were thinking there would be stages and we could see what stage she was at and see what treatment she needed.
“We got to the Beatson, and a woman took us into a room and said our daughter was going to die. She had six months to a year to live.
“It had spread from her breast to her lungs, her heart and her lymph nodes. By the time they detected it, it was too late – it was damage limitation. Isla didn’t want to know. She just wanted to live as best as she could.”
Her devoted family cherished every precious moment with Isla during the months before her passing, until her condition deteriorated rapidly.
Mark recalled: “She got up on a Sunday morning and said, “Dad, I don’t feel well, I think you need to take me to hospital.’
“She would never ask to go to hospital, because she’d been in hospital for so long. We had waited six hours for an ambulance, so me and my brother put her in a wheelchair – we couldn’t lift her because she was so fragile – and we took her to the hospital.
“They took her straight in and said her needs were too complex for the hospital, but they couldn’t move her. Then she crashed.
“We nursed her for six months of chemotherapy and she died in our arms in hospital.
“We thought we’d have a lot more time with her.
“It was so horrible. It’s the sort of thing you see on television – it happens to other people and you don’t think it’ll happen to you.”
The family have been fighting for the past year to establish Isla’s Law – which would mandate GPs ensure urgent paediatric referrals face identical maximum waiting periods as adult cancer referrals.
Their Change.org petition has garnered more than 35,000 signatures, with the family set to meet Scottish Health Secretary Neil Gray next month to raise their concerns.
Health Secretary Neil Gray expressed his condolences to STV, stating: “I would like to express my deepest sympathies to the family of Isla Sneddon for their very sad loss. I will be meeting with her family next week to further discuss their petition and concerns. We published updated Scottish Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer on August 6, which include a new children and young person’s referral guideline. These will help to ensure the right person is on the right pathway at the right time.”
Arwel Williams, NHS Lanarkshire’s director of acute services, responded: “Our team have been responding to the family’s concerns through correspondence and face to face meetings and we have reassured the family that Isla’s treatment was in line with expected clinical pathways.”
He acknowledged the family’s grief, adding: “However, we fully recognise how devastating this has been to the family and our thoughts and sincere sympathies remain with them. We continue to engage with the family and will provide any further support we can.”
A link to the petition can be found here.
