17-Year-Old Dies of Breast Cancer After Chest Pain Dismissed as Anxiety

A 17-year-old girl died from breast cancer after doctors repeatedly brushed off her chest pain as anxiety because of her young age.

Isla Sneddon and her family, who lived in Airdrie, Scotland, first went to see doctors in July 2022.

Isla was just 15 at the time and had found a painful lump in her breast. Doctors told the family her symptoms were nothing serious and described them as normal hormonal changes.

As time went on, Isla’s symptoms continued.

Nearly two years later, her family doctor grew worried that it could be breast cancer and sent an urgent referral to a breast clinic.

Even then, the referral was downgraded due to Isla’s age. Her symptoms were again blamed on anxiety, with doctors insisting that was the root cause.

In September 2024, Isla’s condition suddenly worsened, and she was finally diagnosed with cancer. By that point, it had already spread to her lungs, heart, and lymph nodes, leaving doctors with no treatment options.

Her parents were devastated by the news and struggled to accept her terminal diagnosis. Doctors told them Isla had up to a year to live.

According to her mother, Michelle, Isla lived for six months and two days after getting her diagnosis.

Her family is now pushing for changes to Scotland’s medical guidelines and has petitioned the Scottish government to act.

They are calling for children suspected of having cancer to be placed under the same maximum waiting times as adults who are referred for possible cancer diagnoses.

The proposal, which her parents have named Isla’s Law, has gained a considerable amount of traction.

As of this writing, their Change.org petition has already collected more than 35,000 signatures.

The family says children should receive the same level of urgency and access to testing as adults, especially when cancer is a possible diagnosis. They hope the changes would lead to faster diagnoses and treatment for pediatric cancer patients.

Isla’s father says he believes she might still be alive if doctors had treated her symptoms as seriously as they would have an adult’s, instead of brushing them off.

Scotland’s Health Secretary, Neil Gray, is expected to meet with the family next week to discuss their petition.

Mark Sneddon said he should be teaching his daughter how to drive, not mourning her death.

Now, their goal is to prevent other families from going through what they’ve been through.