Leah Bracknell, 53, has revealed that doctors missed the severity of her ill health prior to her terminal cancer diagnosis, and has said that she saw four GPs in ten days before she took herself to A&E. Talking to Daily Star, she said: "I was dying, but the urgency of the situation was completely missed. The funding crisis and resultant staff shortages cannot meet demand." The former Emmerdale actress has previously written about her experience with doctors in her blog, Something Beginning With C. She said: "Even now, receiving treatment at a cutting edge NHS cancer centre, urgent scans are taking up to 3 weeks to come back due to the severe shortage of qualified radiographers."
The actress – who played Zoe Tate in the ITV soap – also opened up about the uplifting present her partner Jez Hughes had given her following her cancer diagnosis in September 2016. She said that while she was expecting something typically romantic, like a box of chocolate or a bunch of roses, he had instead opted to buy her a calender for the year 2017. She wrote: "I didn’t even know if I was going to get to 2017 if I am honest. A calender for pity’s sake? 'Fill it in,' he said. 'You’re not going anywhere.'"
Leah Bracknell says doctors missed her cancer
Leah has been praised for her positive outlook by her loyal social media fans, who have been following her story since she revealed her illness two years ago. During an appearance on Loose Women last February, Leah revealed that she was refusing to let the cancer get the better of her, and instead was living life to the fullest. "I don't wake up every morning feeling fearful, I wake up feeling grateful and excited about life," she told the panel.
Discussing her positive attitude towards her outlook, Leah added: "I feel positive about life… I think a lot of the work I've done in the past as a yoga teacher I have a head start – I have tools I can call upon, and a way of looking at the world that makes me less fearful of it. I've built a relationship with the cancer asking why is it here, what is it trying to tell me? It's about taking back control and working with people to empower yourself."
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The Emmerdale actress played Zoe Tate from 1989-2005
In August, Leah discovered that the medication she was taking was no longer working. Writing on Leah's crowd funding page, Jez said: "We have found out the drug definitely isn't working so she has been off this for a while while we find out the next steps." He added: "We think it probably stopped working back in March or even before. So for the last five months she has been prospering solely on the alternative treatments. This is due to your incredible support as these aren't cheap. So we are so grateful for the opportunity to keep Leah strong and well. We really believe it is working."
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