Hannah York is leading a campaign to improve the detection of rare cancers after the death of her daughter, Liberty York, who was 19 when she passed away. Liberty died from angiosarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of soft tissue sarcoma, just two days after her 19th birthday in June 2025.
Liberty, who lived in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, began showing signs of illness in May 2024. She reported unusual fatigue and nausea. Because she had been diagnosed with Addison’s disease, a rare autoimmune condition, a year earlier, her family initially suspected a link between the two conditions.
While waiting for a specialist referral, Liberty developed swelling and pain in her left breast. General practitioners initially suspected mastitis, an infection of the breast tissue, due to the redness and pain. Antibiotics were prescribed, but the swelling continued to grow. Doctors later considered the possibility of an abscess or hormonal changes, a common assumption for teenagers.
“The first thing that comes to mind when I think of Liberty is how kind she was and thoughtful,” Hannah York said. “She was still the same determined teenager throughout the final year of her life.”
Delayed Diagnosis and Aggressive Spread
The delay in identifying the true cause of Liberty’s symptoms proved critical. By the time surgery was performed, the tumour had grown to weigh 10lb (4.5kg). The surgery provided a diagnosis, but also revealed the severity of the situation. The angiosarcoma had already spread to her lungs within six weeks of the operation.
Hannah York emphasized that the time lost in diagnosis significantly reduced her daughter’s chances of survival. “The difference between days and weeks to diagnosis is so important with sarcoma,” she said. “She didn’t get a fighting chance.”
Soft tissue sarcomas account for approximately 7% of childhood cancers. Experts note that diagnosis is often delayed because early symptoms, such as swelling or lumps, can mimic more common and less serious conditions. This misattribution is a frequent challenge in paediatric oncology.
Advocacy for New Guidelines
In the months following Liberty’s death, Hannah York has channeled her grief into advocacy. She is supporting the Child Cancer Smart campaign, led by CCLG: The Children & Young People’s Cancer Association. The campaign is launching new guidelines for healthcare professionals designed to improve the recognition of soft tissue sarcomas in children and young people.
Liberty York was remembered by her mother as a strong, opinionated young woman with a strong sense of right and wrong. Hannah York stated that while she cannot know if an earlier diagnosis would have saved her daughter, it would have provided Liberty with more time.
“Her cancer was rare, underfunded and under-researched, so the best chance of helping other people is by making sure they are diagnosed early,” Hannah York said. The campaign aims to ensure that future patients receive timely and accurate diagnoses, potentially offering them the opportunity to fight the disease with a better prognosis.
Source: BBC
