Teacher, 35, died after doctors allegedly mistook cancer symptoms for FOOD INTOLERANCE
Claire Tomlinson died last Tuesday after battling renal cell carcinoma
THE parents of a tragic teacher who died from a rare form of cancer after allegedly being wrongly diagnosed with a food intolerance have called for doctors to "act more urgently".
Claire Tomlinson, 35, from Southport, Merseyside, died last Tuesday after battling a rare form of kidney cancer since February last year.
Her parents, John and Gill Tomlinson, claim Claire did not begin cancer treatment until five months after first visiting her GP with severe stomach pains.
John, 66, said his "beautiful" daughter, who worked as a primary school teacher in London, was advised to cut out certain foods but the pain only got worse.
The retired farmer said: "She went to her local GP in September last year and they thought it was a food allergy.
"They suggested that she cut out bread and things like that and by Christmas she had back pain as well.
"We're not trying to say she could have been cured, we just think that the treatment should have been more urgent."
Claire had a private body scan in February which revealed the pain stemmed from a cancer in her left kidney, known as renal cell carcinoma.
She then began NHS treatment six weeks after the diagnosis and underwent chemotherapy - but the disease spread to Claire's lungs and brain and she found herself in 'crippling' pain after each meal.
The teacher, who had worked as a teacher in the capital for more than three years, also required surgery for a collapsed lung during her fight to beat the disease.
But sadly her chemotherapy was unsuccessful, and she died last week after battling cancer for seven months.
John said: "My wife just had a gut feeling that there was something wrong.
"She's not medical, she's just a good mother who knows her daughters inside out.
"Once you've alerted a doctor that something is wrong it's in their hands and you have to push and push to make sure that people act.
"You can't be frightened if there is something wrong, you have to do something about it because it's not just going to go away.
He added: "Claire said don't think about any compensation just make people aware.
"We're not having flowers at the funeral, we're asking for people to make a donation so that something like a garden can be made for the children to use at her school - a lasting memory that will benefit them.
"The children just loved her and the school has been so supportive.
"She was so natural, there was nothing false about her and she was very beautiful."
What is renal cell carcinoma (RCC)?
- It's the most common type of kidney cancer
- Symptoms can include blood in the urine, pain in your side and a lump/swelling in the kidney area
- If it hasn't spread or become deeply embedded, the 5-year survival rate is 65-90%
- If it has spread the survival estimate lowers to 5-15%
- Symptoms are often mild until the disease has advanced
- Surgery is only an option in cases where the tumour can be isolated from the organ
- Treatment usually focuses on slowing the disease and easing symptoms
A spokesman for the NHS England, speaking on behalf of Claire's GP surgery, said: "Our condolences are with Claire's family and friends at this sad time.
"Unfortunately we cannot comment on the details of individual cases but we are always keen to understand any issues and concerns raised by patients' family and friends."
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