“I'm sorry — I didn't know this would happen.”
For Vivienne and those who loved her, those words came far too late.
Viv was the kind of person whose gentle courage left an imprint on everyone she met. From childhood she lived with ongoing medical issues, yet she rarely complained. Her family remember her bright, curious mind; her love of stories and books; and her ability to find beauty in the smallest moments. She moved through life with quiet resilience and a tenderness that made her deeply loved.
But Viv also lived through years of avoidable harm. In 2015, a misdiagnosis left her disfigured and disabled, setting off a chain of health challenges she carried with extraordinary grace. Later, after a cancer diagnosis and initial successful treatment, she developed immunotherapy-related colitis.
Guidance shows that in many cases a sufficiently long steroid course can prevent rapid escalation. Viv did not receive that care. Despite evidence, warnings, and opportunities to intervene, the treatment she needed wasn’t provided. The inflammation progressed until it became an aggressive secondary cancer of the colon.
When she was finally told the outcome, a nurse who had declined a longer steroid course said, "I’m sorry — I didn’t know this would happen."
That single sentence, spoken too late, reflects something deeper: system failures that leave patients unheard, unsupported, and exposed to avoidable harm. Viv deserved better. Every patient does.
Her partner Phil carries the weight of that loss every day.
"The time we had together was wonderful, but was not long enough," he reflects.
Their love, grief, and courage in sharing Viv’s story speak to the heart of why AvMA exists. Behind every investigation, every complaint, and every inquest is a family trying to find answers, trying to make sense of the unimaginable, and trying to stop the same thing happening to someone else.
Viv’s family now encourage others to learn about their own health conditions "to as great a detail as you possibly can," so they feel informed, confident, and heard throughout their care.
This Christmas, we stand beside families like Viv’s with compassion, expertise, and unwavering support. And with your help, we can continue working for a healthcare system where concerns are taken seriously the first time, where evidence guides decisions, and where humanity comes before haste.
Your monthly gift of as little as £7 helps fund AvMA’s helpline, inquest support, and national patient safety work. It ensures that no one has to face medical harm alone, and helps turn families’ pain into lasting change.
