'They said she was too young!' Teen's death sparks urgent calls for faster cancer checks

Her GP had recommended an urgent biopsy on suspicion of cancer, but this was changed to a non-urgent referral because she was young.

Mark and Michelle Sneddon have spent the past year campaigning for what they call Isla's Law, which would guarantee young patients the same maximum waiting times for cancer referrals as adults receive. Their petition has now gathered more than 35,000 signatures.

Isla first discovered a lump in her breast at 14 years old in July 2022. Medical professionals dismissed her concerns, telling her it was a fibroadenoma – a benign growth linked to hormones – and assured her she would "grow out of it".

Two years later, in June 2024, she returned to her doctor with ongoing symptoms. Her GP suspected cancer and requested an urgent biopsy, but the referral was downgraded to routine status based on her age alone.

That summer, Isla became seriously unwell and was admitted to hospital in Airdrie. She spent ten weeks undergoing tests and procedures at various Scottish hospitals.

In September 2024, doctors finally diagnosed her with sarcoma. The cancer had spread to her heart lining, lymph nodes and lungs, though it had originated in her breast.

Mark and Michelle Sneddon are convinced their daughter might still be alive had she received the same treatment as an adult patient presenting identical symptoms.

Under current Scottish guidelines, adults over 30 with urgent cancer referrals must receive scans within 62 days. No equivalent timeframe exists for younger patients.

Mr Sneddon 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."

He added: "There would have been a longer investigation – she wouldn't have been told it was something she'd grow out of."

Despite receiving what her father described as "fantastic care" once hospitalised, the diagnosis came too late. The family nursed Isla through six months of chemotherapy before she died in their arms.

The Sneddons attended Holyrood last week to appear before the public petitions committee and are scheduled to meet Scottish Health Secretary Neil Gray next month.

Dame Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labour's deputy leader, criticised the decision to downgrade Isla's referral, telling the committee it "lost even more time".

She stated: "They decided that on the basis that she was young. That was it. That was the sole clinical judgment; she is young, so we will just make it routine. That is inappropriate to downgrade just on the basis of somebody's age."

NHS Lanarkshire's director of acute services, Arwel Williams, said the health board had engaged with the family through correspondence and meetings, adding that Isla's treatment followed expected clinical pathways. He expressed sincere sympathies and pledged continued support.