'Healthy’ mum died on same day she was diagnosed with rare form of cancer
30.07.2023 - 16:07
/ dailyrecord.co.uk
A ‘healthy’ mother died on the same day she was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.
The family and friends of Liz Taylor, 51, were left devastated when she passed away after suffering from migraines and blurred vision.
The teaching assistant thought her symptoms were a result of a hectic lifestyle.
Even when blood tests showed a low count, it was put down to a virus. The mum-of-two was taken to hospital after months of struggling and doctors told her she had neutropenia.
The condition leaves patients with a low number of white blood cells.
Her symptoms intensified and she developed severe pain in her chest and leg and heavy bleeding, Leicestershire Live reports. An MRI scan showed multiple marks on her brain and Liz was admitted to Leicester Royal Infirmary.
Doctors believed she was suffering from a heart problem that was causing a series of small strokes. Two weeks after being admitted, Liz suffered a serious stroke.
But it took until July 14 last year for Liz to be diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APML).
APML is a rare sub-type of acute myeloid leukaemia which is itself a form of blood cancer.
However, the news came too late for Liz as she died the same day. Her husband Jonathan believes the outcome could’ve been very different if the symptoms were identified sooner.
Jonathan, 51, said: “I was searching the internet trying to understand more about APML when I came across Leukaemia UK.
“This prompted me to wish that if only I and the medical teams caring for Liz had the knowledge and foresight to identify the signs earlier, Liz could have been diagnosed sooner. Our family, in particular her two daughters, are still coming to terms with our loss, struggling to truly accept what has happened and how or why their