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GP called son's cancer 'anxiety'; he was days from death
7 May
Summary
- A GP dismissed a boy's breathing issues and weight loss as anxiety.
- The 10-year-old was diagnosed with a fast-growing blood cancer.
- He was hours from death before hospital diagnosis and treatment.
In January 2025, Penny Saltmarsh sought medical help for her son Arthur, 10, who was experiencing breathlessness. A GP suggested a viral infection, but symptoms persisted and worsened over the following week, including significant weight loss and gasping for air. During subsequent appointments, Arthur's struggle to make eye contact led a doctor to attribute his issues to anxiety, dismissing the mother's concerns and declining an X-ray.
Panicked by a stark physical change in Arthur's chest, his parents rushed him to the hospital. Doctors discovered over three litres of fluid around his lungs, causing them to collapse, and a mass on his thymus straining his heart. This revealed T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma, a rare, aggressive blood cancer. Arthur was only 48 hours from death.
Arthur underwent four rounds of intensive chemotherapy between February and October 2025. While the chest mass has disappeared, he continues treatment until June 2028. Penny, who quit her midwifery studies to care for him, emphasizes the importance of parental advocacy, recalling Arthur's rapid decline from a healthy child to critical condition within weeks.
