Cancer-stricken mother, 42, dies after doctors dismissed her heavy periods that left her in agony: Disease was only spotted five years after symptoms began
A mother-of-two whose terminal cancer was missed after doctors dismissed her unusually heavy periods has died.
Kelly Pendry, 42, from North Wales, first developed worrying symptoms – including 'a lot of pain' – in 2016.
It would later be discovered that she had an aggressive and ultimately fatal form of cancer in her uterus, and doctors only discovered it after it had become terminal.
But doctors initially made her feel like “a drama queen” and advised her to take the pill, have an IUD inserted or take antidepressants instead.
One doctor even claimed that Ms Pendry's heavy, prolonged periods were due to her body 'normalising' after pregnancy.
Kelly Pendry, 42, whose cancer symptoms were dismissed by doctors in 2016, has died, her family has confirmed
Mrs Pendry (far right) wanted to make memories for her children, Isla, 8, (left) and Sam, 10, (right), as the cancer she missed has now spread to her lungs, chest and lymph nodes
Mrs Pendry, 42, along with her husband Michael, had another chance to have the cancer detected, previously taken away by the Covid pandemic after the operation that may have contracted the tumor was canceled
She would later be diagnosed with fibroids, normally harmless growths in the uterus, and in 2020 would have a hysterectomy to stop her symptoms.
But her operation was postponed due to the Covid pandemic's disruption to the NHS.
Then in 2021 she received the devastating news that one of the fibroids was actually a rare form of cancer – which had spread to her lungs, chest and lymph nodes.
In a post on Facebook, her husband Michael said his “amazing and beautiful wife” died early Sunday.
He added that she “fought to the end, her spirit and strength were incredible as always.”
When she was diagnosed, Ms Pendry said she inevitably wondered what might have happened if the disease had been discovered earlier.
Her cancer, called uterine leiomyosarcoma, affects about one to five in a thousand women with fibroids.
It is usually diagnosed incidentally when a woman undergoes a hysterectomy to remove the growths and these are then examined.
Even if caught early, only about half of women who develop the cancer live longer than five years. If not caught early, chances of survival decrease rapidly.
Leiomyosarcoma is a form of cancer that occurs in smooth tissue in the body, such as the intestines, stomach and, in women, the uterus.
About 600 people in Britain are diagnosed with this cancer every year.
Mrs Pendry vowed to make memories with her two children Sam, 10, and Isla, 8, in the wake of the diagnosis.
She also wanted to warn other women who may be in her position not to be put off by doctors dismissing worrying symptoms, and to demand further investigation.
On social media, Mr Prendry said she 'fought to the end, her spirit and strength were incredible as always'
“I want people to know my story because fibroids are so common and I don't want what happened to me to happen to anyone else,” she previously said.
Mr Pendry has raised more than £75,000 by running a 200 mile race in a bid to get his wife treatment in the US to prolong her life and make her more comfortable.
The treatment eventually went ahead in Britain, but Mr Pendry said any remaining money would be donated to charity to help other people in his wife's situation.
Fibroids are a common growth of muscle and fibrous tissue that occurs in the uterus of about a third of women at some point in their lives.
They are relatively harmless, but can cause discomfort and pain in some cases.
However, fibroids can develop into a rare form of cancer, as in Ms Pendry's case.
As she underwent grueling chemotherapy to extend her life in October 2021, Ms Pendry said she wanted to fight for as long as possible to make memories with her family.
“I want to be that person who beats the odds, even if it just gives me more time to make memories with my family because they mean the word for me.”
'My husband is my rock and I have two fantastic children, so I am determined to fight for them no matter what it takes.'
Ms Pendry was just one of millions of people in Britain whose surgery was postponed or canceled due to the chaos of the Covid pandemic.
Data shows that in 2020, the first year of the pandemic, more than 1.5 million NHS operations were canceled or postponed in England.