At 16 she was diagnosed with cancer, at 18 she died because the treatment she needed was too far away

It was Christmas jumper day at school, and then 16-year-old Emily Clark walked down the stairs to ask her mum Donna Dunn if she had shrunk her jeans. Emily complained they were tight.

Little did the family know it at the time, but it was the start of two years of heartbreak that would expose them to a great weakness in the Welsh healthcare system and would end with Emily's death at just 18 years old.

Emily had a type of blood cancer that most patients survive yet she did not as she became too ill to travel to England for the treatment she needed. Consultant haematologist Dr Ceri Bygrave said that care for patients like her was compromised on a daily basis because of "the crumbling NHS infrastructure that exists in Wales that lags a long way behind other centres in England."

Emily did have treatment in Cardiff but more specialist treatment was needed. This was only available in Bristol but as a result of the complications she became too unwell to travel, yet remained well enough for the treatment.

Emily sadly died at the age of 18 in March 2016. Following her death, Donna and the rest of Emily's family have been so passionate about raising awareness of the symptoms of blood cancer, and also highlighting the need for improvement in treatments.

Blood Cancer UK has launched an action plan which recommends improvements inthe workforce, early diagnosis initiatives, reducing barriers to accessing care and increasing access to treatments.

Speaking specifically on the challenges faced in Wales, Dr Ceri Bygrave, who sat on the Blood Cancer UK Taskforce, said: “The haematology workforce are overstretched and understaffed, with critical staff shortages and increasingly complex treatments leaving people delivering NHS blood cancer care under major pressure. This is a particular challenge in Wales where by 2032, 74% of permanent haematology consultants will reach the age of 60 with a shortfall in trainees to replace them.

Read full story

Source: Wales Online, 5 September 2024