Cancer-fighting mom ‘scowled by NHS bosses’ after complaining about treatment

A mother of three struggling with terminal cancer said she scolded her after NHS doctors complained on social media about her treatment.

Harriet Wilson, 34, from London, was diagnosed with colon cancer in May 2021 and was told the disease would kill her.

The tumors spread to his stomach and ovaries, and he underwent 12 grueling chemotherapy treatments to fight the disease.

He also had surgery to remove the cancerous parts of his liver and gallbladder.

In an Instagram post on 18 March, Ms Wilson said she did not receive home care from the NHS and could only speak to her doctor during certain hours on two Fridays.

She said that after complaining about her treatment at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in London, her oncologist took her to the hospital and told her not to post on social media.

But she says her condition has improved since she voiced her concerns and her doctor said she might be recommended for surgery.

Harriet Wilson, 34, from London, was diagnosed with colon cancer in May 2021 and said the disease would kill her.

Mrs Wilson has three children with her husband, Dan: Darcey (center), 14, Harry (right), six, and Nelly (left), four

“I made a video on Instagram on March 18 to explain how I felt because I didn’t have any professionals to talk to,” Wilson said.

“Then I was called by the oncologist and the nurse told me not to put anything on my Instagram account. They called me to talk about my social networks.

“I had sleepless nights before I went in because I thought they would only call me if they wanted to talk about something serious.

“I was shocked, ‘Is there a dying woman here, a mother of three and you got me out of bed to tell me on my Instagram?’

“I want to run naked on Instagram, you can, this is a free country but if I was naked I might have to post some emojis to cover my tracks.

“I complained to the nurse about this conversation. I think the hospital was worried because the post had 50,000 views and my treatment was terrible.”

In the original video, Ms. Wilson said she was riding a roller coaster full of emotions, told different things by different doctors.

Right now I don’t have a medical team, I’m dying, I don’t even have a nurse, I don’t even have a doctor to talk to.

“All I have is an oncologist who doesn’t answer calls and calls me two Fridays.

“I am in so much pain now that I have literally searched online and asked relatives what to do because I have no one on the NHS to ask.

“People ask me, ‘What about my healthcare team?’ he asks. I’m just saying that Queen Elizabeth doesn’t have a support team, they don’t care. I don’t even have a MacMillan nurse.

“Not once did MacMillan’s hospital or its nurses ask who your children are or if you need help.

“The hospital is so bad that I saw a woman undergoing chemotherapy and her children waiting for their mother on the stairs, so I was lucky enough to have the support of my friends and family.

“My mom and dad moved in to look after me.”

Despite the reprimand, Ms. Wilson said that after expressing her concerns, her doctor later said that the suspected cancer cells in her lung were either gone or they might not be there.

He also said that if he survives, he will have to buy new clothes and shoes because he threw away all his belongings.

Ms. Wilson married her longtime partner Daniel, 35, on February 18. She said she was planning her wedding in a week since she was told she was about to die.

The couple have three children: Darcey, 14, Harry, six, and Nelly, four.

She said: ‘I asked for my kids to be tested because I was worried my cancer might be hereditary, but I was completely ignored.

“As a mother I tried to keep their life as normal as possible, Harry will play football, Nelly will play ballet and Darcey will play kickbox.

“I couldn’t have done it without the help of my mom, aunts, cousins ​​and best friends.

“Dan proposed to me three years ago. We never talked about a wedding until I was diagnosed, and Dan said he would like it if I took the name.

Our wedding was the most beautiful day. We got married in a storm, the weather was crazy, but that didn’t stop us from making our vows and having the most amazing party with all our family and friends.

“My daughter Darcey gave a beautiful speech and made us all cry, she’s my oldest, not Dan’s but raising her to be hers.

“He’s a real mini version of me.”

Ms. Wilson married her longtime partner Daniel, 35, on February 18. “We got married during a storm, the weather was crazy, but that didn’t stop us from fulfilling our vows and having the most amazing party everyone has ever celebrated. from our family and friends

She said she was planning her wedding in a week, as she was told she was about to die.

Ms Wilson, from New Eltham, South London, said she was told several times during her treatment that she had cancer and was later told it was not, and vice versa.

He said: “It was a constant battle, one thing was said and then another.

“One minute I got lung cancer, the next minute it didn’t, the bowel surgery was successful and the next minute it didn’t.

“There were days when I wanted to get over it myself, I even considered going to Switzerland for lethal injection.

“I thought about taking all my pills and not waking up, but then I thought that there was still a struggle inside me and that this struggle was for my children and they should never give up and they should know that they had a reason.. that I am still alive.

A fundraising page has been set up by the Wilson family to cover the costs of private care abroad.

He said: “We’re looking at every trial and every therapy to keep me alive as long as possible.”

A spokesperson for Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust said: “Due to patient confidentiality, we cannot comment on individual cases.

“Once our investigation is complete, Harriet will receive a full response to her complaint and in the meantime we wish her the best in her treatment.”