Woman, 27, Died After Being Told She Was ‘Too Young' for Cancer. Here’s How Her 'Unnecessary’ Death Will Impact Future Patients

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Woman, 27, Died After Being Told She Was ‘Too Young' for Cancer. Here’s How Her 'Unnecessary’ Death Will Impact Future Patients​

Jessica Brady died in December 2020, three weeks after receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis despite making more than 20 doctor's appointments

By Becca Longmire

Published on September 23, 2025 05:59AM EDT

Jessica Brady.Credit :
Handout

NEED TO KNOW​

• Jessica Brady died after being told she had symptoms of long Covid and was "too young for cancer," according to the BBC
• The 27-year-old died three weeks after receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis
• A new rule has now been brought in for doctors in the U.K. called 'Jess' Rule' in a bid to avoid "preventable" deaths like Jessica's, per an NHS England press release

A new rule has been brought in for doctors in the U.K. after a 27-year-old woman died following a stage 4 cancer diagnosis, despite making more than 20 appointments with a doctor.

On Tuesday, Sept. 23, a "new life-saving patient safety initiative called Jess’ Rule" was rolled out across the National Health Service (NHS) in England, following the death of Jessica Brady in December 2020, per a Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England press release shared on the U.K. government's website.

The rule means doctors across England now have to take the “three strikes and rethink approach” after patients make three appointments, in a bid to avoid "tragic" and "preventable" deaths like Brady's, according to the release.

Brady died after being told she had symptoms of long Covid and was "too young for cancer," the BBC reported. She'd started to feel unwell in the summer before her death, the outlet noted.

Brady's mom, Andrea, told BBC Radio 4's Today program that her daughter had been a healthy young woman when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, but her symptoms became "increasingly debilitating" over time, the BBC reported.

"She had unintentionally lost quite a lot of weight, had night sweats, chronic fatigue, a persistent cough and very enlarged lymph nodes," Andrea said, per the outlet. "But because of her age, it was obviously considered there wasn't anything wrong."

Brady had been in contact with six different doctors at her doctor's surgery, as well as having three face-to-face consultations with a family doctor. However, no referral to a specialist was made, according to the BBC. The family ended up making a private appointment, before being referred to a specialist, but it was too late by the time Brady had finally received a diagnosis.

The U.K. government's press release noted, "In the five months leading up to her death, Jessica had more than twenty appointments with her GP (general practitioner) practice but eventually had to seek private healthcare."

"She was later diagnosed with stage 4 adenocarcinoma. With such an advanced disease there was no available treatment. She was admitted into hospital where she died three weeks later," it added.

Brady was given the terminal cancer diagnosis in November 2020, and died three weeks later, just days before Christmas, the BBC reported.

Per the Cleveland Clinic, "Adenocarcinoma is a type of cancer. It starts in the glands that line your organs. Adenocarcinoma cancers can affect several areas of your body, including your lungs, stomach, pancreas and colon."

"Treatment options include surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Survival rates vary depending on the location, stage and type of adenocarcinoma," the site adds.

"The new initiative will ask GPs to think again if, after three appointments, they have been unable to offer a substantiated diagnosis, or the patient’s symptoms have escalated," the U.K. government's release added.

It continued, "While many GP practices already use similar approaches in complex cases, Jess’s Rule will make this standard practice across the country, aiming to reduce health inequalities and ensuring everyone – no matter their age or background – receives the same high standard of care."

The National Health Service (NHS) logo.
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Brady's mom, Andrea, said of the new rule, "Jess lived for just three short weeks following her terminal cancer diagnosis. Despite her shock and devastation, she showed unfailing courage, positivity, dignity, and love. Jess was determined that people should understand how desperately she had tried to advocate for herself and seek a resolution for her declining health," per the release.

"In the bleak weeks following the loss of Jess, I [realized] it was my duty to continue what she had started. It has taken nearly five years to bring about Jess’s Rule. I would like to dedicate this initiative to all the young people who have been diagnosed too late," she continued.

"It has only been made possible because of the people who have listened — politicians, medics, and the nearly half a million who supported the campaign," Andrea shared.

The U.K.'s Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting, called Brady's death a "a preventable and unnecessary tragedy."

"I want to thank her courageous family, who have campaigned tirelessly through unimaginable grief to ensure Jessica’s legacy helps to save the lives of others," he said, per the release.

Streeting continued, "Patient safety must be the bedrock of the NHS, and Jess’ Rule will make sure every patient receives the thorough, compassionate, and safe care that they deserve, while supporting our hard-working GPs to catch potentially deadly illnesses."

"I don’t want any family to endure the pain Jessica’s family have been through. This government will learn from such tragedies and is taking decisive action to improve patient safety," he said.

The release noted that research showed "that younger patients and those from ethnic minority backgrounds often face delays in diagnosis of serious conditions, as their symptoms may not match typical presentation patterns seen in older or white patients."

It also stated that analysis of NHS cancer data in the U.K. showed "that half of 16 to 24-year-olds required three or more interactions with a healthcare professional from a GP practice before being diagnosed with cancer, compared to one in five across the whole population," citing a report from the Nuffield Trust and the Health Foundation.

NHS England did not immediately respond after being contacted by PEOPLE for additional information.