He was just 27. RIP.
A father of two from Leeds has died from cancer aged just 27.
Sherwin Hall first went to hospital on March 23 complaining of leg pain, but was only given a course of antibiotics after being misdiagnosed with prostatitis.
Hall visited the hospital 13 times in two weeks, and “begged” for an MRI scan on his legs, before eventually being given a scan on May 26, his family have revealed.
That scan revealed a 14cm tumour in his pelvis and 30 small tumours on his lungs. Hall died from the tumours last week.
Before his death, Mr Hall said: “I kept begging them in April and May to give me an MRI scan, but no-one would listen.
“Both my GP and my consultant told me that I couldn’t get one because scanning services were slowed down because of the coronavirus.”
His widow, LaTroya Hall, who is being supported by the Catch Up With Cancer Campaign, said: “I am devastated. I have lost the love of my life.
“If Sherwin’s cancer had been found earlier it is likely he would still be here today.
“He would want me to do everything I can to prevent other families suffering as we have.
“It worries me that the Government and NHS leaders continue to say cancer services are back to normal; our family’s experience has been that, even now, this is simply not the case.
“Even if services were back at pre-pandemic levels, that is not enough. The cancer backlog also needs to be cleared.
“The Government and NHS leaders need to treat this as the crisis it is and urgently boost services so the NHS can Catch Up With Cancer.”
Cancer charity MacMillan claim the backlog of cancer patients caused by the first coronavirus lockdowns is 50,000 people, and could have doubled as a result of the second lockdown imposed this autumn.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokeswoman said: “Cancer diagnosis and treatment has remained a priority throughout the pandemic and we urge people to come forward if they have symptoms.
“The NHS is working hard so as many people as possible get the help they need and more than 870,000 people were referred for cancer checks between March and August.
“We’ve given £3 billion to support the NHS in tackling the impact of Covid, including £1 billion to provide extra checks, scans and operations.”
