A heartbroken mum has opened up about her ordeal after doctors dismissed her daughter’s cancer out of concern.
Madi Foster, from Stafford in Staffordshire, was a fit and healthy teenager.
But when he was only 17 years old, he suddenly started to have shortness of breath and lack of energy.
Worried by the unexpected change, she visited the GP with her mum Nicola Foster, 51. However she says she was told it was just anxiety and depression. mood and giving antidepressants.
Madi Foster, from Stafford in Staffordshire, was a fit and healthy teenager. But when he was only 17 years old, he suddenly started to have shortness of breath and lack of energy
It was only after her symptoms worsened two years later in June 2023, with back pain and ‘buckets of sweat’ that A&E doctors discovered her spleen had enlarged.
Scans confirmed that he has a rare and aggressive cancer, adrenocortical carcinoma – cancer of the adrenal gland, which is located next to the kidneys and is responsible for controlling important functions such as metabolism and the immune system. bodies.
Despite having a tumor removed and surviving septic shock, in March the 20-year-old was shockingly told her cancer – which affects one in a million people – had spread and he had 15 to 18 months to live.
Recalling Madi’s traumatic experience, Mrs Foster said: ‘Madi also complained of back pain, but doctors put it down to a urinary tract infection.
‘He was diagnosed with a high heart rate and was given medication to slow it down.’
Worried by the sudden change, she visited a GP with her mother Nicola Foster (pictured), 51. However she claims she was told it was just anxiety and depression. and prescribing antidepressants.
Unlike other types of cancer, doctors don’t know exactly what puts a person at increased risk of developing this disease. There are no known risk factors. Another reason is that this disease is so rare that research on it has not been as extensive as other types of cancer.
After falling ill in June 2023 he was again diagnosed with a kidney infection and sent home, Mrs Foster said.
But after he lost more weight, he was taken to Stafford Hospital by ambulance.
He added: ‘They took a scan of his back and they saw his bone growing.
‘Her bowel was wrapped in a 15cm tumor and was being pushed and pulled.
‘He was rushed to Stoke and various blood tests confirmed it was cancer. They believed it was one of the four rare cancers. It was scary.’
Once a biopsy confirmed it was adrenocortical carcinoma, he underwent surgery to remove the tumor in September.
But after complications from surgery, Madi was shocked when her stomach filled with five liters of water in November 2023.
It was only after her symptoms worsened two years later in June 2023, with back pain and “buckets of sweat” that A&E doctors noticed her spleen was enlarged.
Although Madi has undergone chemotherapy to help reduce the growth of her tumors, her parents also found surgeons at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Maryland, US who were willing to work. In the picture, Madi recovers from a septic shock
Ms Foster said: “We were told there was a very high chance he wouldn’t survive. He went into emergency surgery and had to have his heart replaced three times that night.
He was failing to work on many organs. However, he pulled out after two weeks and went home after four weeks.’
Unable to undergo chemotherapy while recovering, a scan in January found the cancer had spread to her stomach and liver.
Unlike other types of cancer, doctors don’t know exactly what puts a person at increased risk of developing this disease. There are no known risk factors.
Another reason is that this disease is so rare that there have not been as many studies on it as on other types of cancer.
According to Cancer Research UK, only 220 people on average are diagnosed with adrenal gland cancer, which includes adrenocortical carcinoma, each year.
This number is about 800 in the United States.
The glands are responsible for helping to control a person’s heart rate and other functions related to the cardiovascular system.
They also help activate a person’s ‘fight-or-flight’ response during times of high stress.
Scans confirmed he had a rare and aggressive form of cancer, adrenocortical carcinoma – which affects one in a million people. Despite having a tumor removed and surviving septic shock, in March the 20-year-old was shockingly told her cancer had spread and she had 15 months to live to 18 to live.
The disease is thought to develop when the DNA of the gland’s cells undergoes a mutation and starts replicating – although the cause is still unclear.
As with other types of cancer, malignant cells from the adrenal glands can break off and be carried to other parts of the body by the circulatory system.
This causes the cancer to spread, making it difficult to treat and very deadly.
Studies suggest that only 15 percent of patients with advanced cancer survive five years.
Although Madi has been undergoing chemotherapy to help slow the growth of her tumors, her parents also found surgeons at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Maryland, US who were willing to operate on her.
He has undergone the first operation on August 19 to relieve pressure on his back.
Another operation to remove half of his liver and tumors was scheduled for August 27 followed by radiation to his back.
A GoFundMe page set up in June to help cover his travel and accommodation costs has also raised more than £45,000.
Madi said: ‘It gave us hope again, when we thought there was nothing.
My plan is to recover with the treatment they provide at NIH and continue to study medicine, especially oncology, and help other people as I have been through cancer.
‘I’ve been calling my trip here a holiday because I haven’t been able to leave the country for a long time and the fact that it’s a good experience to be here again.’
Mrs Foster added: ‘She has such a good attitude. He never cried.
‘Don’t let it upset him.’
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