'I wish I could die in her place' says Derbyshire dad who wants to marry girlfriend before he loses her to cancer

A north Derbyshire dad says he wishes he could die in his girlfriend’s place as he pledged to marry her before losing her to cancer.
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Lindsay Cotton, 37, has been told she has incurable pancreatic cancer which has spread to the liver – having been ‘misdiagnosed’ with rheumatoid arthritis since before the birth of her 15-month-old son.

She does not want to know how long she has left to live.

Lindsay’s boyfriend, Simon Birley, says his ‘world has been torn apart’ by the shock diagnosis and claims her cancer should have been detected sooner.

Simon and Lindsay with 15-month-old Isaac.Simon and Lindsay with 15-month-old Isaac.
Simon and Lindsay with 15-month-old Isaac.
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“I am angry with the health service because for years she was complaining about the pain and it felt like they did not care,” he said.

“A CT scan 15 months ago and it could have been completely different.”

A Chesterfield Royal Hospital spokesperson said he was saddened that the family felt let down.

Simon, who lives with Lindsay and 15-month-old Isaac in Clowne, says the couple met about five years ago and began trying for a baby.

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Lindsay suffered pain during the pregnancy from symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD) and after what the couple admit was a ‘traumatic birth’ she was still in discomfort down her side.

She was diagnosed as having rheumatoid arthritis and Simon claims Lindsay was ‘palmed off’ by health professionals despite her ‘ongoing pain’.

“The pain was really bad for her on Saturday and we took her to Chesterfield Royal Hospital,” he said.

“They took a blood test and gave her some painkillers but when we got home it kept getting worse.

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“We called 111 on Sunday and they suggested taking her to Bassetlaw Hospital in Worksop for an emergency scan.”

Simon and Lindsay had never considered cancer, but the scan revealed she has advanced pancreatic cancer which has spread to the liver.

Chemotherapy will only slow down its spread.

“It almost feels like she was discriminated against because of her age,” Simon added.

“If Lindsay was in her 70s I believe they would have treated her completely differently. But because she is in her 30s they did not consider pancreatic cancer.”

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Lindsay does not have life insurance so Simon now wants to raise enough money for the couple to get married and have a honeymoon in Cornwall.

“Quite apart from being devastated by the diagnosis we are now in a terrible place financially. I have life insurance but she doesn’t. I wish I could die in her place because then the house would be paid for and Lindsay and Isaac would be ok financially.”

A spokesperson for Chesterfield Royal Hospital said: “We are really sorry to hear of Lindsay’s recent diagnosis - and appreciate the family’s distress at this devastating news.

“As soon as they feel able to, we would welcome the opportunity to talk to them.

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“Our Patient Advice and Liaison Service is here to help and we urge them to call the team on 01246 512640 so we can arrange a conversation and agree the next steps.”

To help Simon and Lindsay, visit their GoFundMe page where you can also see a video of Simon talking about the diagnosis.

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