The heartbroken family of a loving mum believe she would still be alive today if a hospital didn't cancel 12 weeks of appointments.
Kelly Smith died of bowel cancer in June 2021 after a three and a half year battle with the disease.
Her heartbroken family believe she is one of the thousands of victims of the UK's cancer backlog, built up in the pandemic, CheshireLive reports.
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Kelly Smith’s treatment was paused for 12 weeks at the start of the lockdown and she believed her cancer progressed rapidly during that period.
The mum-of-one, from Macclesfield, said at the time: “I’m angry at Covid because it’s me that had this break. It’s me that has been put in this situation.”
Kelly leaves behind her seven-year-old son Finn and her family have launched and the #CatchUpWithCancer campaign to demand that cancer services are resumed to avoid other deaths.
Kelly’s dad Craig Russell said: “The lack of urgency to tackle the cancer backlog is mind-numbing.
“The Government and senior NHS leaders need to react to this national tragedy – it’s not OK to let cancer patients suffer and die. Every day of delay is a day too many.
“It is too late for Kelly, but there’s still time to save others. She was our inspiration and her memory keeps us fighting.”
The Mirror reports that an estimated 19,500 cancer sufferers have been undiagnosed since the pandemic began.
And delays in diagnosis may mean 60,000 excess deaths.
Many patients’ lifesaving procedures were postponed. In the year to February 2021, there were 187,000 fewer chemo treatments.
Some patients now have terminal diagnoses. Other people are grieving the loss of a loved one who may have been saved with earlier medical intervention. And the problem is far from over.
Hospital waiting lists in England are at a record high, and lengthening, with 5.6 million people needing treatment.
Even if hospitals increase treatments by 5%, it may still take until 2033 to clear the backlog, according to the Institute for Public Policy Research.
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