Mother-of-four, 33, died after doctors missed her cancer THIRTY TIMES

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Jeannine Harvey had more than 30 medical consultations, but doctors repeatedly told her she was suffering with 'anxiety' from a suspected torn ligament

A mother-of-four died after doctors missed 30 chances to diagnose her cervical cancer, an inquest heard.
Jeannine Harvey, 33, was left so ravaged by pain that she was unable to get out of bed without help.
But despite consultations with her GP and doctors at three hospitals, her cervical cancer was repeatedly misdiagnosed as a potential torn ligament, protruding discs, sarcoma and ‘nerve pain’.
Doctors even suggested at one point that her agony was caused by anxiety.
At one point, Miss Harvey’s sister became so desperate for her sibling to be treated, she got down on her knees to beg doctors to admit her.
By the time medics realised the accountancy student – whose youngest child was only two when she died – was  suffering from advanced uterine cancer of the cervix, it was too late.
She died at a hospice in July 2012 – eight months after a blood test first raised concerns.
Yesterday, recording a narrative verdict, the Birmingham and Solihull coroner concluded that Ms Harvey died of uterine cancer of the cervix, which was misdiagnosed on more than 30 occasions.
Repeated failures were made by medical staff to recognise, diagnose and treat her, the inquest heard. 
Following a post-mortem examination, it was confirmed that the cancer had originated in the cervix and the Coroner's interim death certificate stated the correct cause of death as cancer of the uterine cervix.
Jeannine's sister, Marie Donovan, said ahead of the inquest: 'All we’ve ever wanted is for someone to tell us how it was possible for medical professionals to miss so many opportunities to correctly diagnose and treat our sister, whose suffering and death were entirely preventable.
'Throughout Jeannine’s illness, we got the impression that no one was listening to us, and felt doctors were constantly patronising us by saying it was Jeannine’s anxiety that was making her pain worse.'

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Ms Harvey only began the correct course of treatment a month before she died. Her family say the delay led the tumour to becoming infected, causing her pelvis to shatter

Speaking three months after her death, Ms Donovan, from West Heath, Birmingham, said her sister’s treatment was ‘like something out of the Dark Ages’.
‘My beautiful sister was in agony, she was crippled with pain, but no one listened to her,’ she added.
Miss Harvey left behind four children who, at the time of her death, were Paul, 16, Jack, 12, Frankie, five, and Ella, two.

Miss Harvey, from Rowley Regis, West Midlands, first complained  of pain in her left leg and abdomen in December 2011.
An ultrasound scan – conducted after the blood test for ovarian cancer came back ‘elevated’ – revealed a mass 4cm wide in her pelvic area.
But a laparoscopy six weeks later at City Hospital, Birmingham, appeared to show the mass had vanished, and she was sent back to her GP for physiotherapy.

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Ms Harvey, pictured here with son Frankie and pregnant with daughter Ella, also had two older sons, Paul and Jack

Days later and still in pain, she was taken to A&E at Sandwell Hospital where doctors diagnosed a possible torn ligament.
An MRI scan in March led to a new diagnosis of protruding discs, with doctors claiming anxiety was the main source of her pain.
Mrs Donovan claims that when  her sister was finally admitted to the Medical Assessment Unit at City Hospital on April 18 she was in such a poor state that a nurse assumed she was a cancer patient.
Days later, Miss Harvey was misdiagnosed again, this time with sarcoma – a type of cancer that develops in connective tissues.
A routine biopsy at Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital prior to starting chemotherapy found squamous cell tissue, which could only have originated in the cervix.
By the time her treatment began, the tumour – now 8cm – had become infected and shattered her pelvic bone. She was admitted to a hospice on July 13 and died ten days later.

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Ms Harvey's sisters Eleanor Sherrington (left) and Marie Donovan (right) claim her death may have been prevented with an earlier diagnosis

Jill Davies, the family’s lawyer at national law firm, Access Legal, said: 'The coroner’s conclusion was delivered in the form of a narrative verdict, which confirmed that the cause of Jeannine’s death had indeed been carcinoma of the uterine cervix, which had originally been misdiagnosed and was never subsequently re-considered as the possible source of Jeannine’s distress and pain.'
She added: 'Jeannine was put on the wrong treatment path after doctors failed to diagnose her cancer – which in turn put her through the pain and distress she later had to endure.
This is one of the most tragic and distressing cases I have seen and it has implications for the diagnosis and timely treatment of cancer on a national basis.  
'Even if Jeannine could not have been cured, it is possible that with an earlier correct diagnosis she may have avoided months of pain at the end of her life.'

CERVICAL CANCER: THE FACTS

Cervical cancer is a rare type of cancer that develops in a woman's cervix.
It often has no symptoms in the early stages meaning it is often not diagnosed until it is more advanced.
Symptoms that can develop include unusual vaginal bleeding which can occur after sex, in between periods or after the menopause, and pain during sex.
When the cancer is more advanced, symptoms can include constipation, blood in the urine, loss of bladder control, back pain, loss of appetite and weight loss.
Screening (which is offered to all women aged 25 to 64 in the UK) aims to pick up abnormal cells before they turn cancerous.
These pre-cancerous cells can normally be treated to prevent them becoming cancerous.
Almost all cases of cervical cancer are caused by the human papillomavirus, which can be spread through sex.
Of all the women diagnosed with cervical cancer, 83 per cent will survive for a year and 67 per cent will survive for at least five years.
Source: NHS Choices

The family set up a Facebook page - Justice4Jeannine  - shortly after her death in order to tell Jeannine’s story to the wider world.
According to Ms Donovan, the family's aim of trying to ensure that no one else would have to endure what her sister had to go through has been achieved.
She said: 'Nothing can ever bring our sister back, but we know her story has made a difference.
'We’ve had messages from people who say Jeannine’s case has pushed them not to accept an initial diagnosis, good or bad, and go for further tests.
'Because of Jeannine, many people are alive and receiving treatment today who otherwise might have died in similar circumstances.'
Roger Stedman, Medical Director at Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust, said: 'Our sincere condolences are passed on to Jeannine’s family at this very difficult time and we are sorry for the distress suffered.
'Following Jeannine’s death we carried out a detailed internal investigation where we identified several areas where we fell short in our expected high standard of care.
'This included a failure to make an adequate and timely diagnosis and our failure to adequately treat Jeannine’s pain as a result, in the last days of her life.
'We have met with Jeannine’s family and expressed our sincere apologies for these failings and would wish to extend that apology again.
'Our investigations indicate that an MRI of Jeannine’s pelvis should have been carried out following a laparoscopy performed in February 2012, and for this we are truly sorry.
'It is clear that appropriate treatment would have brought forward the date of diagnosis and would have prevented pain and suffering.
'Sadly, it would appear that Jeannine’s cancer was already at a stage that it would not have been curable.'

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