Mother Advocates for Earlier Rare Cancer Diagnosis After Teen Daughter's Death

A year after her 19-year-old daughter Liberty York died from a rare cancer, her mother Hannah York is championing a campaign to improve early diagnosis of the disease. Liberty passed away on June 1, 2025, two days after her birthday, from angiosarcoma, a rare form of soft tissue sarcoma.

Liberty's initial symptoms appeared in May 2024 when she began experiencing unusual tiredness and nausea. At the time, she had already been diagnosed with Addison's disease, a rare autoimmune condition, leading the family to initially consider a link between the two. However, as Liberty's condition progressed, she developed swelling and pain in her left breast.

Doctors initially suspected mastitis, a common breast infection, due to the redness and pain, but prescribed antibiotics proved ineffective. The possibility of an abscess was then considered, followed by hormonal factors, which were suggested as a common cause for such symptoms in teenagers on the oncology ward.

"So many teenagers, it's put down to hormones and unfortunately they said they see it every day," Hannah recalled. The swelling, which had started as a small concern weeks earlier, had grown into a 10-pound tumor by the time of Liberty's surgery.

Following the surgery, the family received the diagnosis of an aggressive sarcoma. Hannah noted the devastating speed of its progression, stating, "Liberty's type of sarcoma was a particularly aggressive sarcoma and, after she was operated on, it had spread to her lungs in just six weeks." She emphasized the critical importance of timely diagnosis for sarcoma patients, adding, "She didn't get a fighting chance."

In the months since Liberty's death, Hannah has focused on raising awareness of angiosarcoma. She is supporting the Child Cancer Smart campaign, led by CCLG: The Children & Young People's Cancer Association. This campaign has launched new guidelines intended to help healthcare professionals better recognize soft tissue sarcomas in children and young people.

Soft tissue sarcomas account for approximately 7% of childhood cancers, according to the charity. Experts indicate that diagnosis is often delayed because the symptoms can mimic more common ailments. Hannah described Liberty as a strong, opinionated individual, stating, "I don't know if any earlier diagnosis could have saved her, but she'd have had more of a chance." She added that her daughter's cancer was rare, underfunded, and under-researched, making early diagnosis the most crucial factor in helping others.