A grieving family claims their 27-year-old daughter, Jessica Brady, died after doctors failed to diagnose her cancer 20 times, despite her displaying symptoms. Jessica’s family is now pushing for changes in how cancer is diagnosed in young adults after she was initially misdiagnosed with long COVID before passing away on December 20, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in-person doctor visits shifted to virtual consultations, which limited Jessica’s access to direct medical care.
Jessica had been feeling unwell for six months, but in-person consultations were restricted due to the spring/summer lockdown. As a result, she was prescribed multiple antibiotics without a physical examination, her mother, Andrea Brady, told The Mirror. “Jessica was repeatedly told she had long COVID, despite testing negative for the virus twice.”
The family explained that Jessica visited her GP 20 times before seeing a private doctor in November, who diagnosed her with stage 4 adenocarcinoma. By that time, the cancer had spread to her spine, liver, stomach, lungs, and lymph nodes, making it impossible for doctors to determine the cancer’s original location.
Jessica was hospitalized that same day and remained there until her death in December, leaving her family devastated. “In trying to understand what happened to Jess, I realized that her age was a significant barrier to getting a quick and accurate diagnosis,” Andrea reflected.
In response, the family launched a petition on Change.org in 2021, advocating for Jess’s Law, which seeks to improve the way doctors diagnose conditions in younger patients. This proposal includes elevating a patient’s case for further review after three visits for the same issue. The family also aims to raise awareness about the increasing rates of cancer diagnoses among young people.
“Jess’s Law may seem obvious, but our campaign shows it’s unfortunately overlooked,” Andrea wrote in an essay for Metro. “Many stories shared with me reveal that GPs aren’t proactive in revisiting diagnoses when patients repeatedly present with the same symptoms.”