A London woman has been forced to put her three children into foster care after terminal cervical cancer made her too sick to look after them.
Charley Jayne Law, 31, was diagnosed at the late stages of the disease after doctors dismissed her symptoms for months, telling her they were related to her menstrual cycle.
Ms Law, a full time mum, began bleeding clots the ‘size of my palms’ in September, but was dismissed by male doctors on multiple visits to a London hospital, who told her it was ‘just’ her period.
She was eventually referred to gynaecology at King’s College Hospital and, after a number of tests conducted last month, was given the devastating diagnosis of late stage cervical cancer that had spread to her surrounding organs.
The extreme blood loss and shedding of more than four stone in weight had made Ms Law so unwell she had to be admitted to hospital for monitoring.
As a single parent with little family support, she had no choice but to put her two sons and daughter into emergency foster care.
‘Despite begging for help from social services, the kids’ school and anyone that would help, I was dealing with the childcare by myself,’ she said.
‘I had to make the hardest decision to place my children who have never been away from mummy — not even for one night — into emergency foster care.
Charley Jayne Law was too unwell to remain out of hospital, which forced her three children into emergency foster care
‘I knew that if I didn’t go into hospital I wouldn’t have been here the following day.’
Recalling the battle to get a diagnosis, she claimed that multiple male doctors ‘didn’t even do the basics of an examination’, and fobbed her off.
‘But my body was on the verge of giving up,’ she said.
The eventual diagnosis tore her world apart. ‘The gynaecologist brought in a specialist who introduced herself as Lucy, a Macmillan nurse. My heart sank.’
Ms Law is slowly gaining weight and hopes to start chemotherapy in the coming weeks, but says her kids are struggling to understand why she can’t come home.
She said: ‘Both of my boys have additional needs which makes this ten times harder as they struggle to understand why mummy simply can’t just come home.
‘And my daughter is still a baby that wants her mummy.
‘All throughout this, my kids have been my absolute rocks and light in the dark.
Only 15 per cent of cervical cancer sufferers survive longer than five years if their disease is detected at late stages
‘They have had their whole world turned upside down but they have been amazing.
‘I want to be able to make as many memories with them, take pictures and videos for them to look back on when I’m not here.’
Family member Julie Mullan has set up a fundraiser to help pay for a holiday for Ms Law and the children that will create ‘lasting memories to look back on’.
Ms Mullan, 47, from Sidcup, said: ‘It’s destroyed her.
‘All she’s saying at the moment is she wants to stay alive as long as possible for her babies.
‘She doesn’t want her children to think she’s abandoned them.’
Roughly two women in Britain every day die from cervical cancer, which famously killed TV personality Jade Goody at the age of just 27.
The disease is often called a ‘silent killer’ because its symptoms can be easily mistaken for less serious problems, such as heavy periods and exhaustion.
But if the signs are recognised early, the chance of surviving for at least five years is roughly 95 per cent.
This drops to 15 per cent if the cancer is detected at later stages, when it has spread to other areas of the body.
All women and people with a cervix in the UK aged between 25 and 64 are also invited for regular cervical screenings, which serve as the primary way of diagnosing
Heavier periods, bleeding after sex, between periods, or after menopause, and pain during sex, or in general, particularly in your lower back, pelvis, or lower abdomen are all symptoms of the cancer.
Often, the heavier and more frequent bleeding can leave women feeling more exhausted than usual, according to experts.
In about 99 per cent of cases, cervical cancer is caused by an infection of a high-risk type of human papillomavirus (HPV), that is transmitted via sexual contact.
There are more than 100 types of HPV, and only around 30 can affect the genital area.
Many people never show symptoms, as they can arise years after infection, and the majority of cases go away without treatment.
Cervical cancer symptoms to look out for include unusual vaginal bleeding, pain during sex and lower back or pelvic pain.
However, in some cases, it can cause the genital tissues to grow abnormally, resulting over many years in cervical cancer.
There is a vaccine for HPV.
It is more than 80 per cent effective and available in much of the developed world.
It is a two-dose vaccine, now available for children between ages 11 and 12. The shots come 12 months apart.
For people who missed that window, a three-dose shot is available to young people aged 15 to 26.
The vaccine has been offered to girls in England and Wales since September 2008 before being widened to include boys since 2019.
All women in the UK aged between 25 and 64 are also invited for regular cervical screenings, which serve as the primary way of diagnosing.
