Mum with stage 4 cancer was sent home from A&E five times (2024)

Emma McQuitty with her daughter Codie (Image: BelfastLive)

A North Belfast mum has been left reeling after being diagnosed with stage four cancer, having been turned away from five times with medics insisting "she was just having a heavy period".

Emma McQuitty is now bracing for an arduous battle involving months of chemotherapy and treatment as tumours have taken hold in her cervix, uterus, and bladder, causing excruciating pain and leaving her reliant on help to walk.

Initially seeking help at Mater Hospital's A&E in February due to persistent bleeding, Emma faced a gruelling 15-hour wait only to be discharged with co-codamol, as doctors chalked it up to menorrhagiaa term for heavy menstrual bleeding. Despite repeated visits to both the Mater Hospital and Royal Victoria Hospital A&E as her condition deteriorated, she was repeatedly sent home with the same diagnosis of menorrhagia.

Emma recounts that throughout this ordeal, she was asked for a urine sample just once, with no further tests conducted, reports Belfast Live.

By July, Emma's condition had worsened significantly, with severe pain hampering her mobility, yet her previous experiences made her hesitant to seek care from a Belfast Trust hospital. However, a family member persuaded her to visit the Ulster Hospital, managed by the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust.

She received the heart-breaking news that she had stage four cancer, with tumours on her cervix, uterus, and bladder, which had started spreading to other parts of her body. In the following weeks, as Emma was gearing up for cancer treatment, she also suffered from kidney failure and sepsis due to her condition.

Emma said: "I feel that if doctors listened to my concerns earlier I may not be in the horrendous situation I am now in having to have treatment for stage four cancer and multiple tumours.I had been going to A&E for six months and every time I was sent home with co-codamol and doctors telling me that I just had a heavy period, when in reality I needed urgent tests and treatment carried out.

"I am just so grateful for the care that I am now receiving at the Ulster Hospital, who have been going above and beyond, but I know that I have a very tough road ahead of me with my treatment. My condition has deteriorated so much that I can barely walk on my own now and need assistance to go anywhere. I just wish that I had been listened to in the first place."

Emma's daughter Codie and a friend have now initiated a fundraiser to help Emma secure a mobility scooter and other aids for her home to assist her during her impending cancer treatment, which has so far amassed over £4,000.

The Belfast Health and Social Care Trust has been approached for a comment by BelfastLive.