One woman fighting eight cancers claims doctors overlooked her because they focused on Covid victims.
Joanna Georgiou (31-year-old area manager) from London says that she went repeatedly to the NHS to treat a small lump in her knee which doctors did not recognize as a tumor.
According to Ms Georgiou, the pandemic made the situation worse. She was forced to use electronic consultations with doctors instead of seeing them in person. Her cancer diagnosis was only confirmed after she went to private clinic.
It has now been confirmed Ms Georgiou has a tumour the size of a satsuma next to her heart, six tiny tumours in her lungs and a huge tumour in her knee after being diagnosed with synovial sarcoma, a rare form of cancer that grows in joints.
According to her, she felt let down by NHS and feels that they could have done more to help her sooner. She also believes that Covid was ‘forgotten during the pandemic.
Joanna Georgiou 31, who is currently battling eight cancers claims that NHS doctors overlooked her rare disease because they focused on Covid victims during pandemic.
Joanna Georgiou (pictured), manager, has had four rounds chemotherapy. As she battles the aggressive form of cancer, Joanna Georgiou is considering having her left leg amputated.
It was the first time that she noticed the lump in 2016, at 31 years old. At first, it was diagnosed as a cyst. Ibuprofen was prescribed and she continued her journey.
She said, “I will never forget the first time I saw a doctor.” He told me that I felt a soft lump in my chest, which was not painful but did not feel right.
“And he barely looked at mine, he was completely indifferent to what I was trying to say.
Joanna claims that her pain was getting worse and she saw many doctors to prescribe stronger painkillers.
She stated, “I spent many years visiting different specialists and doctors because I felt certain something was wrong.”
I actually received two different types of diagnosis. The first was it was a Ganglion Cyst.
Image: Joanna discovered the largest cancer in her right knee in 2016, when she was just 26 years old.
“I had a bone fracture that caused me to have a haemorrhage. Cancer was not discussed in all of this.
“I was told at one time that the tumour was benign and so I signed up for a wait list to get it removed.
“But I was not at the top of this list, as it was said that more patients suffering from cancer were ahead than me.
“I sometimes wonder if, because I had waited so much for this to happen, whether it would be possible to reach a stage where I can become an important case.”
She was treated in a private clinic for stage 4 synovial Sarcoma on August 20, 2021.
It is rare to find synovial sarcoma in the soft tissues. Only three out of one million people are diagnosed each year. However, it can quickly spread and often grows close to joints.
Joanna (pictured August 2021), a 31-year-old woman, says that she was disappointed by NHS doctors. She believes that there could have been more done to identify the tumor that had grown in her knee.
Joanna felt let down by NHS. She feels that more could be done to get her diagnosed earlier.
She said: ‘We believe what we’re told and we trust in our medical professionals.
“We have faith in the NHS, and we were just following what was being told.
“I feel upset, and the NHS has let me down.” “I feel I worked hard, I paid my taxes every year and am an excellent British citizen.
Joanna feels that Covid-19 caused her to delay treatment.
She said that Coronavirus was a terrible virus and has affected many people.
“I felt that they ignored everyone else who was sick while this was happening.
“And that makes it even more angry. The pandemic has made me feel like a lot of people were neglected in the past two years.
Joanna claims that the problem was made worse by the pandemic, when doctors focused their attention on cancer patients and everyone else was put on hold while the disease ran its course
“It’s almost as if everyone who has cancer or is facing other serious health problems was placed on hold, while the pandemic took its course. Now there are more issues.”
Joanna is currently undergoing chemotherapy and has lost her hair. She may also be considering having her leg amputated to save her own life.
“After four rounds chemotherapy, six tumors in my lungs remain the same,” she said.
“The cancerous growth in my knee has been changed and shaped, but not diminished. That is something that I’ve heard can occur.
“And my most significant change has been in the tumor near my heart. It was originally nine centimetres long and now it is three and a quarter centimetres. This sounds good, but does not really have a big impact on my outlook.
“I have big decisions to make as I move forward. Radiotherapy can be continued and I will live as long as possible.
I keep hearing the phrase, “prolong your life”, and I do not want to live a longer life. Surgery is something I’m considering because I want to enjoy my life.
The doctors said they could remove my tumor from my chest. However, I was told that my leg would need to be amputated because there is no way for me to eradicate the cancer.
“It would take a long time to get back on my feet, but I am determined and will not give up.
Joanna has also received a lot of support from Macmillan Cancer Support as well as from her GoFundMe page which has raised nearly £20,000.