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A 31-year-old mum who was diagnosed with stage four cervical cancer claims male doctors dismissed her blood clots as “just your period”.
Charley Jayne Law, a full-time mum from Sydenham, London, began bleeding clots the “size of her palms” but claims she wasn’t examined properly by male doctors on multiple visits to a London hospital over two months.
After being referred to gynaecology at King’s College Hospital, she was diagnosed with incurable cervical cancer on January 27 2025 after a number of blood tests, transfusions and iron tests.
Charley claimed: “I was bleeding clots the size of my palms. I attended hospital multiple times between September and December 2024 and was fobbed off with ‘it’s just your period’ by multiple male doctors who didn’t even do the basics of an examination.”
She was admitted as an inpatient at Guy’s Cancer Centre, where she is building up strength after dropping from 12st to 7st so she can start chemotherapy to manage her cancer, but she has had to put her children into emergency foster care.
Charley explained: “The news on January 27 tore my world apart. My body was on the verge of giving up as during this entire time I was still mum.
“I was still doing the school runs, I was still dealing with my toddler by myself, the housework, the appointments and scans and everything in-between, despite begging for help from social services, the kid’s school and anyone that would help.
“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. Why?
“The mum guilt was so bad but I knew that if I didn’t go into hospital I wouldn’t have been here the following day.”
Both of Charley’s boys have additional needs, which she says makes it harder as they struggle to understand why she can’t come home, while her daughter is just a toddler.
Charley said: “All throughout this, my kids have been my absolute rocks and light in the dark.
“They have had their whole world as they know it turned upside down but they have been amazing and I want to be able to make as many memories with them, take as many pictures and videos for them to look back on when I’m not here as possible.”
A fundraiser was set up by a family member, Julie Mullan, to fund a holiday for Charley and her children to make lasting memories.
Julie 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. All we want this fundraiser to do is allow her to make memories for her and her kids.
“We just want to get them on holiday and allow them to be able to do things. She doesn’t want her children to think she’s abandoned them.”
A spokesperson for Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust said: “We were truly sorry to hear of Ms. Law’s diagnosis and our thoughts are with her and her family as she continues her treatment.
“We would encourage Ms. Law to reach out to us directly so we can look into her ED experience, which concluded in a self-discharge before we were able to complete our medical assessments.”
