Delilah-Rai Reid-Floyd was just 19-months-old when she was diagnosed with cancer – but her mum Kayleigh Reid believes she was let down by the NHS
A heartbroken mum has shared her anguish after watching her little girl tragically died of cancer, following the discovery of a lump on her face.
Kayleigh Reid was bathing her daughter Delilah-Rai Reid-Floyd in January when she noticed the pea-sized mass. The concerned mum promptly arranged a doctor’s appointment the next day, whereupon a GP referred Delilah-Rai to Russells Hall Hospital in Dudley.
However, in the ensuing days, Kayleigh and her partner were shockingly accused of harming their child, she revealed to BlackCountryLive.
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The mother-of-five, whose other children are aged 11, seven, three and four months, said: “When we first found the lump, I was worried as it’s always said about lumps potentially being cancerous, but I did think it could be a cyst”, reports Birmingham Live.
“After the GP referred her for non-accidental injury, she was sent to Russells Hall Hospital I discovered the lump on the evening of January 30 after bathing her. I rang the GP the following morning to get her booked in.
“Her dad had to take her because I had to take my eldest son to an appointment elsewhere. From what her dad says, they didn’t really examine the lump, and were quick to assume it was an injury caused by one of us.”
Following a review of a CT scan, doctors concluded that Delilah-Rai, who had just celebrated her first birthday, had a paranasal cystic lesion. Kayleigh, 27, was informed that her daughter would be referred to an ENT specialist and that she would receive a call within a week.
However, she alleges that when she followed up two weeks later, she discovered that the referral had never been made. Delilah-Rai was eventually scheduled to see an ENT doctor in April, allowing the mass on her face to grow for months.
After this appointment, she was referred to Birmingham Children’s Hospital, but when her mum Kayleigh called to ask about an appointment, she was told it would be a three-month wait.
Kayleigh promptly sent photos of Delilah-Rai’s rapidly growing facial mass and secured an appointment two days later. On 9 May, Delilah-Rai underwent scans, with the family meeting on 18 June to discuss the results.
It was decided that a biopsy was needed, which was scheduled for 16 July. Throughout this period, the mass continued to distort Delilah-Rai’s face.
On 30 July, Kayleigh was informed that her daughter had desmoid fibromatosis – a non-cancerous tumour – and surgery was scheduled for 7 August. The tumour had eaten away at her bones, and it was decided that her upper left jaw, left nasal bones, left cheekbones and her orbital floor in her left eye would be removed and replaced with a titanium plate.
However, the surgery was cancelled on 5 August as doctors opted for chemotherapy first, revealing that Delilah-Rai actually had soft tissue cancer. Surgery was deemed too risky, and tragically, Delilah-Rai passed away a few days later, leaving her family heartbroken.
The devastated mum expressed: “With so many delays and misdiagnoses throughout, I believe the NHS neglected her and didn’t give her the care she deserved. I believe there would have been a better chance of survival for Delilah-Rai if they had dealt with things sooner instead of delaying her care.
“I am currently taking legal action against the original hospital and potentially the second, however I do believe they are both running internal investigations into all the delays.”
She added: “Delilah was the sweetest girl, such a character, she was cheeky and she knew it. Very very loving as well. Going forward I wish to raise more awareness for this cruel disease, but I also want the NHS held accountable for their part they played in my daughter’s passing, as you can imagine this has affected our family massively.”
A GoFundMe page has been established to support the family which you can view here.
A spokesperson for Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust stated: “The Trust would like to offer Delilah-Rai’s family our deepest sympathies for the loss of their daughter. We are working with the family to provide them support and address their concerns. An internal review is now under way. The findings will be shared with the family and we will put any learning into place.”
Diane Wale, group chief executive at The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, expressed: “On behalf of the Trust, I would like to extend our sincere condolences to Delilah’s family. We will look into the issues raised and speak with Delilah’s family to better understand the circumstances surrounding this sad loss.”