Hundreds attend funeral of tragic Amber Cliff, 25, who died after cervical cancer went undetected because of screening laws
GRIEVING loved ones of a 25-year-old business graduate who died of cervical cancer wore pink to say their final goodbyes at her funeral.
Amber Rose Cliff bravely battled the disease which went undetected throughout her teenage years - despite numerous trips to the doctors.
Her family is now fighting to create Amber’s Law, a change in policy which would give women under 25 the option to get screened for cervical cancer on the NHS.
A petition set up following the death of the housing officer, from Sunderland, has attracted more than 173,000 signatures.
On Monday, January 16, Amber's family and friends gathered at Sunderland Crematorium from 9am, with many mourners wearing pink.
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Speaking at the time of her death, Amber’s brother, Josh, 27, said she started showing symptoms from the age of 18 and went to the doctors on several occasions.
At the age of 21 and after paying for a private screening, Amber was diagnosed with cervical cancer and passed away on January 8.
Josh said: “She didn’t want sympathy. She refused to have people feel sorry for her.
“It was hard for the family because we had to pretend everything was okay for her.”
WHAT IS CERVICAL CANCER?
The malignancy attacking her reproductive system remained undetected for at least three years as she was not given a screening.
Routine smear testing is only carried out from the age of 25 on the NHS, but Amber's devastated brother Josh is now demanding more flexibility for young women to be screened.
The 27-year-old says his sister began exhibiting worrying symptoms from the age of 18 and went to the doctors on a number of occasions.
Despite asking for screening a number of times, he says his sister was never given one.
Amber and her family eventually took matters into their own hands, as they were convinced she needed to be examined.
Josh said: "We went for a private smear test whens he was about 21, three years after she'd first been to the doctors.
“It turned out that the cancerous tumour in her cervix had been growing for years.”
Amber started chemotherapy and radiotherapy and eventually had to have operations to remove parts of her reproductive system.
But despite periods of recovery, the cancer eventually spread to her lymph nodes, lungs and throat.
Josh said: "She was angry. She felt let down."
Thousands of women are diagnosed with cervical cancer every year, according to Cancer Research UK, and it is very rare in women under the age of 25.
Most health experts agree routinely screening women younger than 25 would be ineffective.
But Josh, from Sunderland, believes Amber's experience proves smear tests for women under 18 need to be readily available in certain circumstances.
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The determined brother has , which has now reached more than 20,000 signatures.
He said: “I want it to be called Amber’s Law.“
Any female under 25 showing any problems with their reproductive system should have the option of a cervical screening.
“It shouldn’t be mandatory, but that option needs to be there.”
Amber was private about her illness, limiting the circle of people who knew what she was suffering to close friends and family
The Sunderland University business graduate and Gentoo housing officer hid it from those she knew on a daily basis.
CERVICAL CANCER SCREENING ON THE NHS
In England all women registered with a GP are invited for a smear test to screen for cervical cancer every three years from the age of 25 to 49 and every five years from 50 to 64.
Josh said: “She didn’t want sympathy. She refused to have people feel sorry for her.
“It was hard for the family because we had to pretend everything was okay for her.”
Amber’s determination to live her life in spite of the disease was undimmed even when her health was in a desperate state, Josh said.
“The Saturday before she died, an ambulance had to take her to hospital because she was having breathing problems.
“But she stood up and got back out of it to go back in to the house and get her make-up bag.
“Amber wouldn’t give up – she was always stubborn and it was the best thing she could have been.
“She refused to lie there and die. She was a fighter.”
Amid the grief, Josh says he is comforted by the fact he was able to spend one last Christmas with his sister.
He said: “We never even liked Christmas but we had a great one, the best we ever had.
"The last thing she ever bought was presents for my two children - her two godchildren.”
Commenting on the campaign, Dr Jana Witt, health information officer at Cancer Research UK, said screening young women before they reach 25 can “do more harm than good”.
She said: “Cervical screening is for women who don’t have any symptoms and is an important way to prevent the disease from developing.
“Research has shown that, on balance, screening women under the age of 25 can do more harm than good.
“This is because cervical changes that screening detects in younger women tend to clear up by themselves and are less likely to develop into cancer, so screening may lead to unnecessary tests and treatment.
“Whatever your age or screening history, if you notice symptoms such as bleeding between periods, after sex, after the menopause, or any other unusual changes, it’s really important to contact your GP and get them checked out.”
To support the Amber’s Law campaign, .
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