Latest news with #KanishaCollins
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Mom, 24, Alleges Docs Refused to Test Her Tumor: 'They Didn't Think Somebody My Age Would Have Pancreatic Cancer'
Kanisha Collins, 24, alleges her doctors didn't test a mass on her pancreas, telling her she was too young for pancreatic cancer The mom of a toddler was in the midst of planning her wedding when she was told that she had stage four pancreatic cancer that was "incurable" PEOPLE has reached out to Chesterfield Royal Hospital and Weston Park Hospital for commentA mom who alleges she was told she's too young for pancreatic cancer has been given a bleak, "incurable" diagnosis — and now she's trying to make memories with her toddler and husband before she dies. Kanisha Collins, 24, sought care at the UK's Chesterfield Royal Hospital in December, she told Daily Mail in an article published on Thursday, June 5. her medical team was communicating with cancer specialists at Weston Park Hospital, and the consensus was that she had pancreatitis — an inflammation of the pancreas that can cause nausea, vomiting, and stomach pain. PEOPLE has reached out to Chesterfield Royal Hospital and Weston Park Hospital for comment. A representative for the hospital told The Daily Mail that internal reviews are "already underway." Kanisha told the outlet that this past February, May 30, a scan showed a mass on her pancreas and a blood clot, but her medical team still said she had pancreatitis. 'They wouldn't test the mass on my pancreas, because they didn't think somebody my age would have pancreatic cancer,' Kanisha alleged, claiming she was told the mass was 'benign.' But as she explains, the pain got worse — and she was rushed back to the hospital for more tests; On May 19, she was given the heartbreaking news that she had stage four pancreatic cancer that had spread to her liver and was 'incurable.' Pancreatic cancer is one of the most devastating cancers because it usually doesn't exhibit symptoms until it's too far advanced for effective treatment. As Pancreatic Cancer Action Network explains, even when it's discovered only in the pancreas, the five-year survival rate is 44%. For all types of pancreatic cancer, including if it has spread, the five-year survival rate is 13%. 'I felt discriminated against because I was so young,' Kanisha told the outlet. She'd been in the midst of planning her wedding and celebrating her daughter Amaya's second birthday, but now she says "I feel heartbroken.' 'I have a 2-year-old daughter at home," she said. "I get married on Saturday and I had all that to look forward to in the future.' Her father, Dean, has started a GoFundMe to support Amaya in the future and help Kanisha and her husband Mason build memories — all while paying for cancer treatment. 'I'm on chemo. I'm tired, so it's hard, but I suppose I've got to look for the positive side, that the chemo will shrink enough to give me many years down the line,' she said. 'We're all staying positive about it and hoping that treatment will shrink my tumors enough to give me a few years.' But as Dean bleakly wrote in the GoFundMe, "Amaya will grow up without her mummy by her side through her childhood, teenage years, and adult life. The pain of this loss is unimaginable for our family." As Dean told Daily Mail, 'My aim now is to bring further awareness out there, with regards to cancer, because there's loads of people out there who have experienced it … people just don't seem to be wanting to to push it further forward, to do further tests, purely because she was young.' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Read the original article on People
Wales Online
3 days ago
- Health
- Wales Online
'I was told I had gallstones for five months - now I won't see daughter grow up'
'I was told I had gallstones for five months - now I won't see daughter grow up' Kanisha Collins is now 'preparing to say goodbye to her two-year-old daughter' Kanisha with her daughter Amaya (Image: Dean Collins/SWNS ) A bride-to-be was diagnosed with incurable stage four cancer after the mass on her pancreas was dismissed as gallstones for five months. Kanisha Collins, 24, started experiencing liver pain and recurring water infections last winter. She was treated for pancreatitis at Chesterfield Royal Hospital, during which doctors found a large mass on her pancreas and blood clots. A CT scan in February showed a slight shrinking in the mass and doctors told her the mass was likely gallstones. Given her young age, no further tests were carried out. Kanisha was scheduled for an MRI scan later in the year, but went to A&E in April due to pain, where her liver lesions were discovered. A biopsy revealed that she had stage four pancreatic cancer that had already spread to the liver. The 24-year-old started chemotherapy this week to hopefully slow down the cancer. Kanisha and her partner Mason Furnace, 29, are to get married on Saturday, with Kanisha's two-year-old daughter Amaya as the bride's flower girl. The bride, a care assistant from Chesterfield, Derbyshire, said: 'We've been engaged for two years, but when they found the mass my fiancé wanted to get married this year to speed things up. It's stressful, I'm having chemo so obviously I'm going to be tired on my wedding day – not how I wanted to feel on my wedding day. But I'm still going to be thoroughly looking forward to it because it's a day with friends and family and a day to celebrate me.' Kanisha went to see her doctor in December 2024 after experiencing pain, appetite problems and indigestion. Doctors found a mass on her pancreas in December, but didn't test it - assuming it was gallstones. Article continues below Kanisha said: 'They misdiagnosed me because of my age, saying they didn't think anyone my age would have that kind of cancer. They never attempted to test the mass they found back in December." Continually monitoring the mass, doctors found in February 2025 that it was shrinking. Kanisha said: "When they said the mass had shrunk slightly, obviously it was positive news, but I felt like they just kept testing the mass rather than actually doing something about it or properly testing it. And now I'm left with something incurable." In April the mum went to A&E for lower stomach pain and a CT scan finally revealed she had pancreatic cancer. Kanisha in hosptial (Image: Dean Collins/SWNS ) She said: 'When it came back that it all stemmed from my pancreas, it was heartbreaking for me, because I'm 24 and I just feel like the hospital could have done more and pushed for more tests in the beginning. Then I might not have been in the situation I am now. 'People should get tested sooner for anything they find mass-wise, in any age of person, because nobody should go through it. The problem with pancreatic cancer is that there are not that many symptoms. But your appetite lessens and you get a lot more indigestion and stuff because it's to do with your digestive system." Kanisha and her daughter Amaya are living in Chesterfield with Kanisha's father Dean Collins, who set up a GoFundMe to support photo sessions, keepsakes and memory-making days out between the mother and her daughter. The young mother said: 'My daughter is only the age of two so she's not understanding anything at the moment. Obviously it's putting a lot of strain on the family and financially of course. Everyone's trying to support me and my daughter.' Train driver Dean said on the fundraising site: 'Despite being so young, her life is being cruelly cut short. She now faces the unimaginable – preparing to say goodbye to her two-year-old daughter, Amaya. 'Amaya will grow up without her mummy by her side throughout her childhood, teenage years, and adult life. The pain of this loss is unimaginable for our family. Tragically, Kanisha's cancer was initially misdiagnosed by the hospital as a non-cancerous mass, causing a delay in proper treatment and reducing her chances of survival.' Kanisha with her daughter Amaya and partner Mason (Image: Dean Collins/SWNS ) Article continues below Dr Hal Spencer, chief executive of Chesterfield Royal Hospital said: 'We always strive to give the best care and we are sorry to hear of Kanisha's experience. Throughout, her care has always been considered seriously and we have consulted with regional specialist colleagues who were advising us on her care and management. 'We would encourage Kanisha and her family to contact us and we will support them in a full review of her care in order that we can understand the decisions taken and the management advice given. This will help inform our internal reviews already underway.'
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE I was told by TWO hospitals that I had gallstones when I actually had stage four cancer... now I won't get to see my little girl grow up
A mother whose gallstones turned out to be stage-four cancer has blasted doctors for waiting five months to test a mass on her pancreas. When Kanisha Collins, 24, was diagnosed with pancreatitis at Royal Chesterfield Hospital in December, she didn't think to question their expert judgment. After all, they were in close contact with a team of specialists over at Weston Park Hospital in Sheffield, one of just four dedicated cancer centres in the UK. And the coalition of doctors persistently stuck to its guns, even after a second CT scan in February showed a persistent mass on her pancreas and a worsening blood clot. But then the pain got worse. Rushed to hospital just weeks after being told the mass was 'benign', Kanisha, who has a two-year-old daughter, was hit with the discovery of lesions on her liver and the news that staff would finally be performing a biopsy. On May 19, she was diagnosed with stage-four pancreatic cancer which had spread to the liver, after months of doctors insisting she was too young to be struck with the illness. A day after starting chemotherapy at Weston Park, Kanisha, whose father Dean has raised more than £4,000 for her family on GoFundMe, told MailOnline she blamed specialists at both hospitals for acting too slowly to spot her, now incurable, cancer. She told MailOnline: 'This was all because they wouldn't test the mass on my pancreas, because they didn't think somebody my age would have pancreatic cancer. 'I've been failed by both hospitals in a way, but I feel like my consultant could have done more at the time. 'The reason they didn't was because of my age. Unfortunately, when they told me [I had cancer] it was too late and incurable. 'Absolutely [I feel let down]. Cancer [diagnoses] should never [be based] off somebody's age. 'It should always be tested, no matter what, no matter how old you are, it should be tested from the get go and not left because they think you're too young. 'I felt discriminated against because I was so young. My kind of cancer is actually genetic and my daughter has to be tested down the line.' Before her diagnosis, Kanisha's life had been gathering pace. Her daughter Amaya had just turned two and she was about to get married to her partner Mason. The wedding had long been in the diary for this Saturday, but no one could ever have anticipated it would fall at the end of her first week of chemotherapy. 'I feel heartbroken, because obviously I have a two-year-old daughter at home,' she said. 'I get married on Saturday and I had all that to look forward to in the future. 'But that's been cut short unfortunately.' Sitting by her side during her first night of chemo, her father Dean chimed in: 'They're getting married on Saturday, which was planned last year, but cancer wasn't planned. 'The idea is, once they've got married, to go to the sit down meal. Then once we've done that, I'll take her back home so she can have a rest before coming back to spend a bit of time with the evening guests. 'She's going to have a break in between all that to recharge her batteries.' Kanisha's chemotherapy battle is in its early days, but her stoicism in the wake of her life being turned upside down has taken even her parents by surprise. 'Before all this, I was a fit and healthy person and now I can barely do day-to-day walking tasks, because I just get out of breath,' she said. 'I'm on chemo, I'm tired, so it's hard, but I suppose I've got to look for the positive side, that the chemo will shrink enough to give me many years down the line. 'We're all staying positive about it and hoping that treatment will shrink my tumours enough to give me a few years.' Her father added: 'She actually seems stronger than both me and her mum. She's got to be strong for herself and for her daughter and partner.' Dean reacted to Kanisha's diagnosis by setting up a Gofundme, drawing on his experience looking after his sister, who died with cancer, as well as the writing skills of his older daughter's boyfriend, to create an already-flying donation page. The fundraiser earned £4,000 in its first 24 hours, receiving more than 150 donations. Its aims are two-fold: to give Kanisha the opportunity to enjoy what time she has left with her daughter, and to help her soon-to-be husband in the tough times ahead. The Gofundme's soaring success has been a rare source of positivity for the mother, following an incredibly difficult five months. She said: 'It's just to give myself and my family a good holiday and to make those lasting memories. And to not have to worry about the financial side of things, so we can do things as a family. 'At the moment, unfortunately, I'm not able to fly due to the fact I'm on intense chemotherapy, but my main goal is a nice family holiday down in Cornwall. It's always been my favourite place to go since being a little girl. 'And just being able to show my daughter the other parts of England that I've been able to see. 'Eventually after my chemo, if it is successful, I would like to take her on that family holiday abroad, if it is possible. That's my main goal. 'It's for my daughter's future as well, just so I know she's going to have a good life.' Dean added: 'The frustrating thing about it is [the delay in diagnosis]. It was a catalogue of errors between the two hospitals. That's how it seems to me. 'One set not talking to the other and then the other people just don't seem to be wanting to to push it further forward, to do further tests, purely because she was young. 'So my aim now is to bring further awareness out there, with regards to cancer, because there's loads of people out there who have experienced it.' Dr Hal Spencer, Chief Executive of Chesterfield Royal Hospital said: 'We always strive to give the best care, and we are sorry to hear of Kanisha's experience. 'Throughout, her care has always been considered seriously, and we have consulted with regional specialist colleagues who were advising us on her care and management. 'We would encourage Kanisha and her family to contact us, and we will support them in a full review of her care in order that we can understand the decisions taken and the management advice given. 'This will help inform our internal reviews already underway.' here.
