“They call themselves health professionals”, Pregnant mother, whose symptoms were dismissed as anxiety and doctors called her a hypochondriac, says she was diagnosed with terminal cancer while giving birth to her son

The woman claims her symptoms were dismissed as anxiety and doctors called her a hypochondriac before she was diagnosed with terminal cancer while undergoing a C-section. Before her diagnosis, the pregnant mother said that she experienced stomach pain for over 12 months and called her doctor during the lockdown. She also made few visits to the hospital and was only given anxiety medications and told to stay away from dairy. Now, after 6 rounds of chemotherapy and two surgeries, the doctors reportedly told her that there is no way to stop the cancer. “They call themselves health professionals, and they’re supposed to be giving us care, but that is negligence. I just feel like it could have been caught sooner, so I wouldn’t have this late diagnosis – and I’m leaving three kids.” the unfortunate mother said.

The 37-year-old mother of three, Lois Walker, told the New York Post that was told she had stage 4 cancer when her son Ray was born by Caesarean section in 2021. Doctors reportedly found cancer in her ovaries, the lining of her abdomen and her lymph nodes.

Before her diagnosis, Walker said that she experienced stomach pain for over 12 months and called her doctor during the lockdown. She also made few visits to the hospital and was only given anxiety medications and told to stay away from dairy. Now, after 6 rounds of chemotherapy and two surgeries, the doctors reportedly told Walker that there is no way to stop the cancer.

During an interview with BBC, Lois Walker reportedly said: “They call themselves health professionals, and they’re supposed to be giving us care, but that is negligence. I just feel like it could have been caught sooner, so I wouldn’t have this late diagnosis – and I’m leaving three kids.”

The mother said that she first became sick in June 2020 when she experienced strange bathroom habits and swelling around her diaphragm. She reportedly visited the local hospital, but was told she may have IBS (irritable bowel syndrome). When her symptoms worsened, doctors offered her drugs for hypochondria.

Lois Walker also said: “I was going to the doctors, but I couldn’t tell them anything new because it was the same symptoms always, so they treated me with antacids. Then, I got told it could be health anxiety, so they put me on citalopram. I already suffered from skin cancer, so I said to my doctor, ‘You don’t think I could have cancer?'” And he said, “Oh no, it’s just you getting old and bodies don’t work as well.”

In Dec. 2020, Walker discovered that she was pregnant with her third child. Just 4 months later, her symptoms worsened. Walker said the pain got to the point where she couldn’t walk or eat. When her pain became too much, Walker told doctors that she was ready to take her own life if they didn’t take her concerns seriously. Walker told Daily Mail that even the hospital’s mental health team got involved because she said that it had reached the point where she would have to end her life.

The doctors made more tests and revealed that Walker had a mass behind her womb. So, they decided to deliver her baby the next day and told walker that her abdomen was so diseased that they needed to send off some biopsies.

The unfortunate mother also said: “The doctor actually grabbed my hand and he cried and he actually said that he’d let me down. My liver had fused to my diaphragm, so that had to be cut back. My bladder had fused to the back of my womb, so that had to be cut back, and all my ovaries had fused. Then I had the devastating news that it’s also on my bowels, my stomach and my liver. Obviously, that’s never good, they’re my main organs that I need.”

The hospital officials released the following statement:

“We are sorry to hear Ms Walker’s concerns about her care and that she didn’t feel listened to. We carried out a review of Ms Walker’s care and referrals for tests and we shared those findings with her at that time. We welcome anyone with concerns about the care they have received with us to get in touch so we can investigate. Unfortunately, we cannot comment further due to our duty of confidentiality.”

Her family created fundraising page to raise money for Cancer research for Lois. According to the fundraiser, Walker discovered that she has a BRCA gene mutation and this is likely the cause to her cancer. The family is currently waiting to find out if it has passed to siblings which is 50/50. “We plan on having her as long as possible,” the fund-raiser description reads at the end of her story.