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Emma Guinness
A mum-of-five tragically died of cervical cancer after she was repeatedly diagnosed with constipation.
Louise Gray, 34, who lived in Peterlee, County Durham, knew that something was wrong when she experienced bowel problems and visited her doctor for answers in November 2021.
She had previously battled cervical cancer, a fight that only ended in April of last year, but despite her history, she was diagnosed with constipation and given laxatives to treat the problem.
Gray, who worked at a call centre, suspected that the cancer had returned and a pleaded with doctors to treat her for the condition, but her family claim that she was never tested for it again.
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Her situation took a tragic turn for the worst seven weeks ago when she collapsed at her home, prompting her mum to call 999.
It was then that she discovered that she had terminal cancer, following two blood transfusions and the tests she had allegedly been denied by doctors.
This terminal cancer was not only cervical but it had spread throughout the mum's body, infecting her liver, bowel, pelvis and lymph nodes.
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Sadly, just weeks after being given the devastating news, Gray died on 3 November.
Her family are now sharing her story to stop anyone else from finding themselves in their heartbreaking position and to get answers from the doctors who failed Gray.
The mum-of-five's aunt, Judith Spence, 51, said: "After her first operation she got sepsis and began to get infection after infection.
"Louise returned to the doctors and said to them she thought she might have bowel cancer as her bowel problems had continued.
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"She was told by the doctor she was being ridiculous and that she had piles and was given laxatives.
"She then returned to the doctors when her bowl problems hadn’t changed and was given even stronger laxatives.
"When my sister [Louise's mum] called 999 seven weeks ago, Louise was so poorly, and her potassium levels were so low.
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"We thought she was going to die. The whole situation has just been horrendous. It went so quickly from one thing to another."
Spence went on to reveal that Gray wasn't just failed at the end of her life, but when she was initially operated on to treat her cervical cancer.
She had an operation to remove it at University Hospital North Tees in Stockton-on-Tees, where doctors allegedly cut part of her bowel, causing the mum to develop sepsis.
Judith elaborated: "After her first operation, she was told to go back to the doctors, but she was so scared to go back after contracting sepsis twice and was worried about them messing things up further.
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"The late diagnosis and treatment of laxative has made me angry.
"All her family feel angry. We knew she had cervical cancer. We have a history of cancer, and the doctors just didn't care.
Gray is survived by her five young children - Hayden, 16, Morgan, 13, Coby-Jay, five, and twins, Cole and Caleb, three.
Her aunt explained that her oldest children, in particular, have been left 'traumatised' by their mum's sudden death.
"I want to raise awareness as I would hate this to happen to somebody else," Spence said.
"If the doctors aren’t listening to you, you need to keep pressing and pushing. Louise was a bubbly, fun loving, witty individual.
"She loved creating her diamond artwork with family photos.
"She had a photograph of all the kids together which she was doing but she never got the chance to finish it before she died.
"It's her mum's mission to get this finished."
Tyla has reached out to University Hospital North for comment.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Macmillan’s Cancer Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, 8am–8pm seven days a week