A 15-year-old girl from Hampshire has been told she has months to live after her cancer was misdiagnosed as a pain condition. Olivia Maunder, from Bordon, began experiencing back pain in 2020. Doctors at Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey diagnosed complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) after an initial MRI scan missed a spinal tumour, her family said.
In a statement released through lawyers, Olivia described being left in 'indescribable agony' following the scan in March 2021. She said, 'In the three months when I was being told I was making everything up, the pain was so bad that I wanted to kill myself.' Her family reported that doctors claimed she had a psychological condition and was exaggerating her pain, and she was given no medication as a result.
The spinal tumour was eventually discovered after a second scan. In late 2022, Olivia was told the cancer was terminal. Her mother, Carol, said, 'We told the doctors so many times how much pain she was in. She was screaming in pain but was asked "have you tried a mindfulness app?"'
A serious incident report revealed significant failings in the hospital's care of Olivia, according to the family's lawyer, Jeanette Van-Cauter. The hospital's medical director, Dr. Timothy Ho, issued an apology, saying, 'We are very sorry for the considerable distress caused by the delay in diagnosing Olivia's cancer and have met with Olivia and her family to share the results of our thorough investigation.'
Olivia's sister Victoria is raising money to make her last few months as special as possible. The hospital has committed to learning from the investigation and improving services.
