Georgia Gardiner’s stomach pains started as an annoyance—something her doctor insisted was just acid reflux. But when the 28-year-old mother from Leeds began vomiting daily and losing drastic amounts of weight, she knew it was more serious.
“I couldn’t eat without being sick. The pain was constant and sharp,” Georgia said. Despite multiple visits to her doctor and local hospital, she was repeatedly sent home with reflux medication. Months passed before she was finally referred for an endoscopy—and the results were devastating. Georgia had stage 4 gastric cancer, a rare and aggressive type called linitis plastica that had already spread.
Doctors told her the cancer was incurable, with only 12 months left to live. “I was in complete shock,” Georgia admitted. “I didn’t leave my house for days.” Now, she’s determined to spend whatever time she has left making memories with her toddler, Arlo, while warning others not to make the same mistake.
“If I’d pushed harder for tests sooner, maybe they could’ve caught it in time,” she said. “No one thinks they’ll get cancer at 28. But if something feels wrong, don’t stop fighting for answers.”