On the night of Sunday November 1, 2020, Andrea Brady sat on the sofa, her heart filled with panic. Fear had consumed her once happy family life for weeks, and now it was overwhelming her as she came to a terrible realization. When her husband, Simon, entered the room and saw the distress on her face, he anxiously asked what was wrong. “I think Jessie has cancer,” she uttered.
Over the course of five months, the Bradys’ daughter, Jessica, had been steadily declining in health. Their vibrant and ambitious young girl, who had rarely needed medical attention in her 26 years, was becoming unrecognizable. Each symptom on its own was uncomfortable, but when combined, they would alarm even those lacking medical expertise. From stomach pains to persistent postnasal drip and a cough so severe it caused vomiting, Jessica’s health was deteriorating rapidly. By November, she could hardly keep food down and was losing weight at an alarming rate. She constantly struggled to breathe and was physically exhausted. No amount of rest brought any relief to a body that inexplicably seemed to be failing her.
Seated at the dining table that Sunday, Jessica turned to her boyfriend and asked if he could see her swollen glands, which were causing tremendous pain. “Alex said no, but maybe it was the angle he was looking from,” Andrea recollects. “From where I was sitting, I could see these huge glands and thought, ‘Oh my God. This isn’t good.'”
Despite seeking help from the GP surgery, Jessica’s symptoms were repeatedly dismissed. A rotating cast of doctors provided fragmented care, misdiagnosing her with various conditions from urinary infections to long Covid. It started in June 2020 when Jessica contacted the surgery about abdominal and back pain. The GP diagnosed her with a UTI and prescribed antibiotics – the first of five courses she would receive in the next five months, all to no avail.
Even then, Andrea had a nagging feeling in her gut. “How did they know it was a urine infection? Did you bring a sample to the surgery?” she asked Jessica. No sample was taken, and Jessica hadn’t been examined. Andrea sensed something was off. Despite rarely having taken antibiotics before, Jessica didn’t question it because she was only 26 and believed it was fine.
This initial appointment set the tone for what followed. Jessica fought to be taken seriously while receiving fragmented care. Most appointments were conducted remotely, and her symptoms continued to worsen. She would call the surgery, speak to dismissive receptionists, and eventually have a phone call with a GP. The doctor would listen to her symptoms, prescribe medication, and send her away. In total, Jessica had 20 GP appointments and two trips to A&E. Not once was the word “cancer” mentioned.
Desperate for help, Jessica sought a private consultation, where she finally received the diagnosis her parents had feared. However, by then, it was too late. The doctor informed her that she had stage four adenocarcinoma, a cancer of the glands, with an unknown primary source. The cancer had spread to her liver, lungs, lymph nodes, and spine. “She was told that it was terminal and there was no hope, that she mustn’t hope,” says Andrea. Jessica was immediately admitted to the hospital, and three weeks later, on December 20, 2020, she passed away.
Throughout those agonizing months, Jessica tirelessly advocated for herself. Yet, her case slipped through the cracks, a victim not just of Covid but also of a struggling primary care system. Only three of her GP appointments were conducted in person. While face-to-face consultations declined during the pandemic, nearly 30% of appointments in England still take place remotely.
The Bradys believe that doctors failed to connect the dots with Jessica’s symptoms. Because she didn’t fit into an at-risk category, her case was not thoroughly investigated. Andrea says, “We think if Jess had been a different age, socioeconomic background, many other things, it would have been a red flag.” Her case was not examined as a whole, and crucial moments were missed. Test results, which Jessica had to plead for, should have raised concerns. One blood test showed elevated levels of D-dimer, a protein fragment associated with blood clots. Unfortunately, it was never followed up on, and the Bradys now know that elevated D-dimer levels can also indicate cancer.
The couple is now advocating for Jess’s Law, which would require a case to be reviewed after the patient contacts their GP surgery for the third time. In the midst of their unimaginable grief, the Bradys are dedicated to raising awareness about early cancer detection. They have started a petition to improve the identification of cancer in young adults. They were granted a meeting with health secretary Steve Barclay and received a verbal apology for the failures that led to Jessica’s tragically late diagnosis. A spokesperson from the Department of Health and Social Care stated that discussions between the family and the department were ongoing. “It is clear opportunities to diagnose Jessica sooner were missed, and the Secretary of State has met her parents on two occasions to discuss how to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future.”
