Charlotte and Isabel both died of cancer after doctors dismissed their terrible symptoms as they were ‘too young’ to get the disease. Now their heartbroken parents have made a desperate plea to raise awareness of the disease in children

Charlotte Simpson and Isabel McEgan did not know each other, but shared a love of spending time with their friends, their families and their dogs, as well as the ambition to become a teacher.

Sadly, however, the teenagers also share the shocking way they were abandoned by GPs who failed to realize they had the symptoms of a deadly form of cancer. It’s a situation that happens all too often.

Last month, The Mail on Sunday revealed the horrific story of 17-year-old Ruby Fuller, whose blood cancer symptoms were missed seven times by six doctors, who dismissed them as allergies or insisted she was ‘not well’. One even laughed off Ruby’s worried mother’s suggestion that it could be cancer, saying: ‘Not in a 17-year-old – she’s far too young.’

Charlotte Simpson was 17 when she started experiencing symptoms of colon cancer, but by the time doctors tested her, the disease had spread throughout her body

In October 2019, Charlotte, from Hampshire, who was 17 and studying for her A-levels, suffered constipation, diarrhea and stomach pain.

Despite repeated visits to the doctor, she was told that nothing was wrong. Even when she started losing weight and throwing up, they suggested she was just exhausted. “If you were older, we would be very concerned,” her doctor said. “But you’re only 17.”

It wasn’t until Charlotte noticed blood in her stool three months later that she was sent for tests. Scans revealed advanced bowel cancer that had spread throughout her body.

She died four months later, with her mother Sarah, father David, younger brother Elliott and boyfriend Scott by her side.

In 2018, Isabel McEgan, from Merseyside, had not long completed her A-levels when she started complaining of a racing heart and palpitations at night.

In the following months, after starting a philosophy course at the University of Liverpool, Isabel continued to go to the GP with new symptoms. They said she was just stressed. In February 2019, she lost feeling in her chin and was again told not to worry.

Isabel McEgan had her symptoms dismissed by doctors, who said she was just stressed

But while on vacation in the US, her face swelled and a Pennsylvania dentist thought a wisdom tooth might be to blame. However, when he removed it, he noticed a tumor in her jaw.

Back in Britain, scans revealed Isabel had kidney cancer which had spread to her liver, adrenal glands, jaw, pelvis and spine. She died in May 2020 – less than two weeks before Charlotte Simpson also passed away.

Isabel’s mother Amanda, 53, recalled her daughter’s last words, saying: ‘I said to Isabel, ‘I love you.’ She said, “I love you more.” That was the last thing she said to me.’

Hauntingly, Charlotte’s mother Sarah, 50, tells how she said goodbye to her daughter with exactly the same words.

Although the families will never know for sure, both wonder whether an earlier diagnosis could have saved the girls. That’s why Charlotte and Isabel’s parents have now joined forces in an effort to raise awareness about the symptoms of cancer in children.

They are working with The Children’s Cancer And Leukemia Group (CCLG), who have created a poster they plan to display in all GP practices to inform patients, parents and doctors about the warning signs.

“Early diagnosis is crucial,” says CCLG chief executive Ashley Ball-Gamble. “And it can be as simple as accessing the right information at the right time.

‘If we can get this poster to them, GPs should have the information they need to make a referral.’

Charlotte Simpson with her mother Sarah

Across Britain, the number of children and young people diagnosed with cancer has risen by more than 15 percent since the 1990s, according to the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. Every year, approximately 3,755 young people under the age of 25 are diagnosed with cancer, including 1,645 under the age of 15.

Yet NHS research published last year suggests opportunities for early diagnosis are being missed. It found that in 41 percent of cases where a child was diagnosed with cancer, the family had taken them to the GP at least three times with the same symptoms before referring them for tests.

Experts say one of the main reasons GPs miss signs of cancer in children is because the symptoms differ from those in adults.

Campaigners say one solution is Jess’s Law: a proposed new legislation that would require GPs to raise a case to urgent review if a patient comes to the operating room three times complaining of the same symptoms. It is named after Jessica Brady, 27, from Hertfordshire, who died in 2020 after adenocarcinoma – a cancer in the mucus-producing glands lining organs – was missed 20 times by four GPs.

Isabel enjoys a day out at Disneyland

But the charity CCLG says it is also crucial to educate GPs about the signs of the disease.

It is for this reason that the CCLG has developed its childhood cancer symptom poster.

‘It can be difficult for GPs to detect cases of cancer in children as they rarely encounter them,’ says Dr Sharna Shanmugavadivel, pediatrician at Leicester Royal Infirmary. ‘Placing the poster at every operation can help doctors and patients understand that certain symptoms are important warning signs of cancer and should lead to further investigation or referral.’

In 2021, the NHS regulator, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), threw its support behind the poster. However, at the time the company did not commit to funding distribution to GP practices.

Isabel’s mother Amanda believes the move would save lives, saying: ‘Many of Izzy’s symptoms should have been red flags.

‘It would also help parents advocate for their children if they could point to the symptoms on a poster and just say, ‘Look!’

• For more information about Jess’s Law, visit: