I begged docs to take my ‘tummy bug’ symptoms seriously… now I face death sentence after cancer concerns were dismissed

A TERRIFIED mum is facing a death sentence at the age of just 40, claiming NHS doctors failed to diagnose her cancer quickly enough after blaming her symptoms on a tummy bug. Candice Powell, from Swanley in Kent, is “living on borrowed time” and petrified that her teenage son Charlie will be left an orphan, after his dad was found dead by Candice in 2017. Candice Powell, 40, fell suddenly unwell in May last year Credit: Candice Powell She’d previously beaten cancer but now says she’s been handed a death sentence diagnosis after doctors dismissed her symptoms Credit: Candice Powell Candice – who had previously been diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2019 and a year later given the all-clear – suddenly became extremely unwell last May. She sought treatment – but says her symptoms were dismissed as a tummy bug, delaying her eventual diagnosis of incurable cancer by two months. She tells Sun Health: “You go to hospital expecting to get care, but I came away with a death sentence. “I don’t want to die. I have an 18-year-old son, he’s my best friend in the world and he needs his mum, but I feel like the NHS has given up on me. “If the hospital hadn’t missed the cancer and I’d been scanned properly – not just after my symptoms, but regularly after getting the all-clear – maybe I’d have a very different prognosis.” Candice, who owned a cleaning business, is now desperately trying to raise funds through a GoFundMe page to fly to Germany for treatment, which she is praying might save her life. Candice was diagnosed with Stage 3b cervical cancer in 2019 Credit: Candice Powell She was declared disease free the following year but grew worried when she started vomiting non-stop in May 2025 Credit: Candice Powell Before her recent devastating diagnosis, Candice had been diagnosed with Stage 3b cervical cancer in 2019 but was declared disease-free in 2020. She had suffered symptoms such as vaginal bleeding and difficulty urinating before having rigorous rounds of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Then, in May 2025, Candice suddenly became extremely unwell again – and understandably, she feared the worst. She says: “I was being sick multiple times throughout the day. I felt weak, which I put down to being sick so much. I was tired, but couldn’t sleep. I just felt so scared.” Candice was also throwing up faecal matter and had unbearable tummy pains, so she rushed to A&E. She says: “I could just feel something wasn’t right in my body. I was constantly thinking: ‘Is this the cancer? is it back?’” But she says doctors at Maidstone Hospital dismissed her condition as stomach inflammation (gastritis). “I knew I wasn’t right and I begged them to take me seriously,” Candice says. “I was throwing up, barely able to walk, but they just kept telling me it would pass.” Candice was given a scan and then sent home, where she started to feel better and thought she’d be notified of any worrying results. “I was naive to believe that it was gastritis,” she says. “I would try to get on with my daily life, then I would break down with the thought of the cancer coming back.” Two months later, in July, Candice was back and forth to hospital with the same symptoms. A scan that month discovered a tumour in her uterus. Candice was initially told her symptoms were caused by gastritis Credit: Candice Powell Following scans, she received a heart-wrenching call in the early hours of the morning informing her she had cancer Credit: Candice Powell Candice received the news by phone call at 2am, having been at the hospital earlier that day. Candice says: “I got home at 2am from hospital, then got the phone call saying I needed to come back. “I said: ‘I’ve just got home, I’m tired’. So I told them to tell me over the phone. “They said they’d found a mass growth in my uterus. They told me they’d missed an abnormality on the scan in May, but by the time they had seen it on the scan in July, it had grown drastically. “I just lay there shell-shocked. “I’ve not slept properly since that night.” Despite the obvious urgency of the call, it took yet another four months for Candice to undergo surgery due to the complexity of her case. At the Royal Marsden, doctors removed the tumour and did a full hysterectomy in a 10-hour operation, which has left her needing a colostomy and urostomy bag for the rest of her life. But for Candice, it’s all too little too late. Since the operation, the cancer has spread in her leg, abdomen and near her pancreas. She has now started immunotherapy treatment, which is only offered for a maximum of two years, as per NHS rules. ‘I’ve still got so much to live for, including my beautiful boy,’ Candice says – pictured here with her son Charlie Credit: Candice Powell Cervical cancer signs and how to protect yourself CERVICAL cancer is most commonly diagnosed in women in their early 30s, with around 3,200 new cases and 850 deaths each year in the UK. According to CRUK, the five-year survival rate is around 70 per cent – and the earlier it is caught, the better. Cervical screening programmes and HPV vaccines have reduced rates and save 4,000 lives each year. It is vital you attend your smear test and get jabbed when invited, and that you know the symptoms of cervical cancer to look out for. These aren’t always obvious, and they may not become noticeable until the cancer has reached an advanced stage. But you might notice: Unusual bleeding (often after sex, between periods, or after the menopause) Pain and discomfort during sex Vaginal discharge (often unpleasant smelling) Pain in your lower back, between your hip bones or in your lower tummy Women are invited to have regular cervical screenings between the ages of 25 and 64. How often depends on your age. The HPV vaccine, which helps protect against the virus, is recommended for children aged 12 to 13 and people at higher risk from HPV. Source: NHS and Cancer Research UK Once that’s done, there is nothing more doctors can do. “They’re giving up on me,” Candice says. “We have researched alternative options across the world and there’s a clinic in Germany which offers specialist immunotherapy and NK Cell Therapy treatment, but it’s expensive and we’d need at least £50,000 to start it. “It’s a cost the NHS won’t pay to have here. How can you put a price on someone’s life? “I can’t give up yet. I’ve still got so much to live for, including my beautiful boy.” In a heartbreaking twist, Candice’s son Charlie could be left an orphan if Candice can’t raise the cash. In 2017, she found Charlie’s dad Lenny dead in his bed from a brain aneurysm. “It breaks my heart to think Charlie will lose both of us,” Candice says. “I can’t bear the thought of leaving him, he’s my best friend and my world. “He’s suffered so much already. I have to keep fighting, but I cry every day because I feel so helpless.” Now Candice has sought legal advice, with her lawyer saying she has grounds to take action against Maidstone Hospital for negligence. “Mistakes happen, but these sorts of errors are literally the difference between life and death,” she says. She is now undergoing palliative chemotherapy every three weeks. When Candice asked why there would be far less treatment this time around, she was told it was standard due to the nature of her cancer and how far along it is. “They’ve given up on me,” she says. “They’re not even trying to save me.” Carlie Francis, who has been desperately trying to raise awareness for her close friend, says Candice is beside herself. “She calls me every day in tears and I’m heartbroken knowing there’s nothing I can do,” Carlie says. “We’re all trying to stay as strong as possible for her, organising raffles and trying so hard to get this money. “Earlier this month we threw her a 40th birthday party, a very small thing, just some food in the garden. She barely ate anything, which is understandable, but it’s little pockets of joy like that, it all counts.” Encouraging new figures show that girls vaccinated against HPV at the age of 12 face almost zero risk of dying from cervical cancer before they reach 30. It’s a huge advancement, but for Candice, it’s understandably bittersweet. “I’m so glad young women won’t have to face the same death sentence as me,” she says. “I just wish my story could be different.” A spokesperson for Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS trust, said: “We are very sorry to hear that Candice is facing a further cancer diagnosis. “Receiving this news is devastating, and our thoughts are with her and her family at what must be an incredibly difficult time. “Candice has been in contact with us directly and we have responded to the points she raised. “We will continue to support her and answer any questions she may have about her care.”