The parents of a Scottish teenager, Isla Sneddon, who died of breast cancer at 17, claim her symptoms were overlooked due to her age, leading to a late diagnosis and urging for changes in urgent pediatric referrals.
Isla Sneddon, a 17-year-old from Airdrie, Scotland, tragically passed away in March 2025, merely six months after her breast cancer diagnosis. Her parents, Mark and Michelle Sneddon, argue that the medical community underestimated Isla's symptoms because of her youth, categorizing her referral for a biopsy as routine rather than urgent, which delayed her diagnosis until it was too late for effective treatment. They believe that had she been treated as an adult, she could still be alive today.
In response to their grief, the Sneddons are advocating for legal changes that would require urgent pediatric cancer referrals to be subjected to the same maximum waiting times as those for adults. The couple's call for reform stems from their deep concern that young patients are not afforded the same urgency in treatment as older adults despite the potential severity of their conditions. This push for policy change highlights the need for a reassessment of how medical professionals address symptoms in younger patients.
The Scottish government has indicated that it published new cancer guidance last August and is awaiting the opportunity to discuss the petition presented by the Sneddon family. This situation underscores the broader issues surrounding age bias in medical treatment and the critical importance of timely and appropriate healthcare for all age groups, particularly in cases of serious illness like cancer.
