Gardening Blamed for Pain Before Cancer Diagnosis Leaves Woman Wheelchair Bound

Karen Davey’s case shows how symptoms can be dismissed as gardening injury or menopause, delaying a cancer diagnosis and resulting in lasting disability.

Gardening Blamed for Pain Before Cancer Diagnosis Leaves Woman Wheelchair Bound

In February 2024 Karen Davey, 54, began feeling unusually tired and achy. By March, a GP attributed back pain to gardening after a brief activity, a diagnosis she says felt dismissive. Over the next two months her condition worsened: she lost weight, developed fever, and later could not feel her legs. She was hospitalized and diagnosed with stage four non-Hodgkin lymphoma in the kidneys, with a tumor wrapped around the spinal cord. After one round of radiotherapy and six rounds of chemotherapy she reached remission, but the damage to her spinal cord left her unable to walk, making her a full-time wheelchair user.

The delay points to a broader issue in which women’s symptoms are sometimes explained away rather than explored thoroughly. The case intersects gender bias with disability, making timely care harder to obtain. It highlights the need for clearer guidelines so persistent symptoms are tested rather than attributed to menopause or minor injuries. Advocacy groups, including the Spinal Injuries Association, call for earlier diagnosis and more accessible healthcare for women with disabilities.

Highlights

Awareness and better access to care can spare others the life changing consequences seen here.