Woman diagnosed with one-in-three million cancer after symptoms were mistaken for anxiety

The mother of 20-year-old who is currently battling a one-in-three million form of cancer has told how medics initially mistook her symptoms for anxiety before she finally got a diagnosis.

Nicola Foster, from Stafford, explained that her daughter Madi had always been 'physically fit' and played for her local rugby club, so when she suddenly began to seem extremely fatigued in 2021, alarm bells started ringing.

The 51-year-old explained she realised her child was becoming 'breathless and lacked energy', so she booked a GP appointment to get Madi checked over.

"She was diagnosed with anxiety and depression," the mum said. "They wanted to put her on antidepressants."

Despite the youngster also complaining of back pain, doctors assured her it was just down to a urine infection.

Madi was also diagnosed with a high heart rate and was subsequently put on medication to slow it down, and eventually, she began to feel as though she was getting back to normal.

Nicola Foster told how her daughter Madi was initially diagnosed with anxiety and depression. (SWNS)

That was until she became 'pretty ill' in June 2023, with her mum explaining that she started 'sweating buckets' while experiencing crippling back pain - but doctors told them it was a kidney infection and Madi was again sent home.

As her condition continued to deteriorate, Nicola rang an ambulance and her daughter was eventually blue-lighted to Stafford Hospital, which is where the family would finally get some answers.

The mum explained that a consultant spotted a large mass on an ultrasound, which showed that the 20-year-old's spleen was enlarged because there was a 15cm tumour wrapped around it.

"Her spleen was being pushed and squashed," Nicola continued. "She was rushed up to Stoke and various blood tests confirmed it was cancer. They believed it was one of four rare cancers. It was horrific."

A biopsy then confirmed that her daughter was suffering from adrenocortical carcinoma - a cancer of the adrenal glands.

It's a one-in-a-million cancer, but the odds for people in Madi's age bracket are a whopping one-in-three million.

"Madi was grateful that she had a diagnosis - that it all made sense," the mum said.

In September last year, the 20-year-old underwent an operation to remove the 'massive' 2kg tumour and was informed that the cancer had not spread elsewhere - but sadly, there were complications with the surgery.

The family later discovered that the 20-year-old was suffering from adrenocortical carcinoma. (SWNS)

These resulted in Madi going into septic shock, causing her abdomen to fill with five litres of fluid the following month.

Nicola explained: "We were told it was highly likely she wasn't going to survive. She went into emergency surgery. She had to have heart restarted three times that night. She was multiple organ failure.

"She pulled though after two weeks and came home after four weeks."

But during this time, Madi was unable to go through chemotherapy - and at a check up scan in February this year, she received the devastating news that the cancer had returned and was now in her abdomen and liver.

"They told me there was nothing else they could do," Nicola said. "She was classed as stage four.

"She had 15 to 18 months to live."

But Madi's mum and her dad Craig, 50, refused to give up on their little girl and they found out about the National Institutes of Health in Maryland - which is funded by the US government for its research - through a Facebook group.

While the young woman was put on a chemotherapy drug to slow down the growth of her tumours, her parents were organising a trip to the States after US medics said they 'wanted to do whatever they could to save Madi's life'.

A fundraiser for Madi earned a whopping £45,000 to fund her travel and accommodation, and the brave 20-year-old had her first surgery on 19 August - while her mum proudly said she is still 'defying the odds'.

Madi has just had her first surgery in the US and is set to undergo another soon. (SWNS)

Incredibly, £21,000 was raised for Madi in just two days.

Nicola, who works in medical sales, said the help from the community has been 'phenomenal', while saying of her daughter: "She's got such a positive attitude. She's never cried. She's not let it upset her."

Speaking of the lifeline American doctors have given her, Madi added: "It’s given us all hope again, when we thought there wasn’t any. My plan is to get well through the treatment they’re offering at the NIH and go on to study medicine particularly oncology, and help other people as I have been through cancer myself.

"I’ve been calling my trip here a holiday because I’ve been unable to leave the country for so long and the fact that it’s such a positive experience being here too."

Following her op yesterday to relieve pressure on her spine, Madi will then undergo another surgery on 17 August.

Half of her liver and the tumours will be removed, before she then has radiation on her spine.

If you would like to support Madi's fundraiser, click here.

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Macmillan’s Cancer Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, 8am–8pm seven days a week.