London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Terminally ill Mum told three times that she had acid reflux when it was cancer

Terminally ill Mum told three times that she had acid reflux when it was cancer

A Scottish mum who was struggling to swallow and eat was repeatedly told she had a ‘classic case’ of acid reflux – only to find out she was battling terminal cancer

Towards the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in March, Jackie Johnson, 50, tried to see a doctor several times when she had difficulty eating.

She was told by medics that she had acid reflux and was given antacids, according to the Daily Record.

The mother-of-two from Kirkcaldy only discovered the extent of her condition after reading the notes a nurse left behind when she was later taken to hospital.

She found out that she had a stage four tumour and that the cancer had metastasized into the lymph node – despite never having a biopsy of her lymph nodes – in the notes, which had ‘patient unaware’ written underneath.

Eventually, Jackie was diagnosed with stage four cancer of the oesophagus and told that the only available treatment would be a palliative chemotherapy treatment.

Her partner Colin Stewart, 49, told the paper: ‘Jackie asked the GP if she could have cancer but he said no and told her she had a ‘classic case of acid reflux. But no one had ever examined her.’

He added: ‘Jackie called over a doctor and he was embarrassed she had found out like that. He confirmed what she had read and then, Jackie, ran away.’

During her first appointment at her local GP surgery after developing eating problems, she was diagnosed with acid reflux and prescribed antacids without any examination.

Two weeks later, Jackie called again but this time was given a telephone consultation where the doctor doubled her original medication.

However, Jackie was still not convinced that this was the right treatment and called back two weeks later to be given another telephone appointment and more medication, with still no in-person examination of her throat.

Fearing her condition was getting worse, she called the surgery a fourth time and asked to be referred for an endoscopy, suspecting she had cancer.


Colin Stewart, her partner, said no one ever examined Jackie before prescribing antacids

As her condition worsened, Jackie waited eight weeks during lockdown to get an appointment at an endoscopy clinic.

Her appointment on July 9 confirmed her fears that there was a growth and six days later they confirmed it was cancer.

Colin explained: ‘They told her it was terminal and she was going to have palliative treatment.

‘But for her to be able to swallow the chemotherapy medication, they would have to put in a stent to open up her oesophagus.

‘They told us it would be permanent and even if the chemotherapy shrunk the tumour they would not be able to operate because of the stent.

‘We asked them to hold off doing it because we wanted a second opinion. But when they got the second opinion they said it was the same as their own.’

After scouring the internet, the couple found a private consultant who may be able to cure her depending on the results of a PET scan.

They hopes that the treatment can be done in Scotland but if not are looking into selling Jackie’s house and have created a GoFundme page.

The Scottish Labour Health and Social Care minister has said: ‘Cancer doesn’t wait and that’s why being examined by a GP and getting an early diagnosis is so vital.

‘We face a tsunami of cancer deaths unless the Scottish Government lifts our NHS out of lockdown and properly resources our healthcare services.’

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
After 200,000 Orders in 2 Minutes: Xiaomi Accelerates Marketing in Europe
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
×