A mother from Edinburgh has described the devastating moment doctors told her that symptoms she believed were the menopause were in fact signs of a rare and terminal cancer.
'I nearly fainted' at terminal diagnosis
Gail Redpath, aged 53, reported irregular bleeding and discovered a lump in May 2024. Her GP referred her to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, where a consultant initially diagnosed a Bartholin's cyst, a benign and painful lump.
However, during surgery to remove it, medics made a shocking discovery: a tumour measuring 10 centimetres, roughly the size of a golf ball, in her womb. A biopsy in June confirmed the growth was stage 4 Leiomyosarcoma (LMS), an aggressive cancer that forms in smooth muscle tissue.
The disease had already spread to her lymph nodes and lungs, and Gail was given just months to live. "I nearly fainted when the doctor told me to get my affairs in order," Gail told the Daily Record. The news came on the same day her father was diagnosed with Alzheimer's.
Fighting for time with her family
Gail, who has 21-year-old twin daughters named Eden and Macy, is now undergoing palliative chemotherapy. Her primary concern is for her family's future. "I'm the matriarch of the family. I can't bear the thought of not seeing my daughters marry or have children," she said.
Remarkably, Gail says she feels no pain from the cancer. "I had no other symptoms. If I wasn't having chemotherapy right now you wouldn't know I have cancer... I'm lucky I'm still here. Every day is a bonus," she explained.
To cope, she has chosen to focus on the present. "I've shut the door on those thoughts or else I'll be pulled down to the depths of depression," Gail stated, even planning her funeral to be a celebration with the song 'Can’t Take My Eyes Off You' by Frankie Valli.
Raising awareness for underfunded research
Gail is now waiting to join a research trial in Leicester aimed at developing a blood test to detect sarcomas. Leiomyosarcoma and other sarcomas receive very little research funding, a fact Gail is determined to highlight.
According to the charity Sarcoma UK, leiomyosarcoma develops in smooth muscle cells, which control involuntary contractions in organs. Around 15 people in the UK are diagnosed with a sarcoma every day.
The most common symptoms of sarcoma can include:
- Swelling, tenderness or pain in a bone, often worse at night.
- Stomach pain, feeling sick, or loss of appetite.
- Blood in your stool or vomit.
Gail's story underscores the importance of investigating persistent symptoms and the urgent need for greater investment into rare cancer research.
