Female boxer Georgia O’Connor ‘spent months begging for help from doctors who told her it was all in her head’ – before dying aged 25 from cancer

Female boxer Georgia O’Connor, who died this week aged 25 from cancer, said she spent months begging doctors for help only to be told that it was ‘all in her head’.

O’Connor, from County Durham, announced earlier this year that she had been diagnosed with a ‘rare and aggressive’ form of the disease which was deemed ‘incurable’ by doctors.

It was confirmed on Wednesday that the talented fighter had sadly passed away, less than two weeks after she married ‘the love of [her] life’ Adriano and changed her surname to Cardinali.

But it appears O’Connor’s tragic death came after a string of NHS failings which saw doctors ‘dismiss’ her while she was ‘crying on the floor in agony’ seeking help.

An Instagram post on the late fighter’s profile from January 31 this year lays bare the alleged series of mistakes by medics who she says should have known she was at high risk of developing the disease.

O’Connor’s post reads: ‘There’s really no easy way to say this, but I have cancer.

‘Now that’s out the way, it’s time to expose the incompetent RATS that have allowed this to happen.

‘For 17 weeks since the start of October, I’ve been in constant pain, going back and forth between Durham and Newcastle RVI A&E knowing deep down something was seriously wrong.

O’Connor (left) from County Durham, was diagnosed with a ‘rare and aggressive’ form of the disease earlier this year which was deemed ‘incurable’ by doctors

It was confirmed on Wednesday that the talented fighter (right) had sadly passed away, less than two weeks after she married ‘the love of [her] life’ Adriano (left) and changed her surname to Cardinali

An Instagram post (above) on the late fighter’s profile, where she announced her diagnosis on January 31 this year, lays bare the alleged series of failings by NHS staff

‘I said from the start I felt it was cancer. I KNEW the risks. I have colitis and PSC, two diseases that dramatically increase the chances of getting it. I KNOW how high my risk is and they do too. They always did.

‘But not one doctor f*****g listened to me. Not one doctor took me seriously. Not one doctor did the scans or blood tests I begged for whilst crying on the floor in agony.

‘Instead, they dismissed me. They gaslit me, told me it was nothing, made me feel like I was overreacting. They refused to scan me. They refused to investigate. They REFUSED to listen. One even told me that it’s ‘all in my head’.

‘And now? Now the cancer has spread. And if that wasn’t enough, throughout this whole time there’s been BLOOD CLOTS all over my lungs. That ALONE could have killed me instantly.

‘They could have done something before it got to this stage. But they didn’t. Because this is the state of the NHS – a broken system that fails young people like me over and over again. 

‘A system that makes people suffer, that sends them home in agony, that lets cancer spread whilst the thick, stupid, mindless ‘doctors’ shrug their shoulders.

A post on O’Connor’s Instagram from February 16 details how she had a miscarriage before being diagnosed with cancer

A separate post from September 2024 from O’Connor details her battle with Ulcerative Colitis prior to her cancer diagnosis

O’Connor said: Life is five per cent what happens to you and 95 per cent how you react to it. Don’t give up when it gets hard’

‘They can say it’s terminal all they want. They can tell me I’m going to die. But after taking 17, SEVENTEEN weeks to even figure out what was wrong with me, why the f**k should I believe them?

‘I’m young, I’m fit and I am stronger than they’ll ever fucking understand. Mentally. Physically. Every single way. I’m still smiling and that smile will NEVER fade, no matter what.

‘We’ve already got an amazing oncologist on my case and we’ve made sure I’m going to have the best treatment and healing possible. Starting NOW.

‘F**k the doctors who failed me. F**k the system that let this happen.’

The news of O’Connor’s death shocked the boxing sphere yesterday as tributes poured in from poured in from fighters Claressa Shields, Jack Catterall, Jake Paul, Molly McCann and Francesca Hennessy.

O’Connor posted to Instagram eight weeks ago after being rushed to hospital with sepsis and said: To think about all what I’ve been through, every single thing I’ve endured that’s tried to break me… to still be here… is an absolute miracle’

O’Connor (left) celebrates victory against Erica Alvarez (right) in the super welter weight bout at the Utilita Arena, Newcastle in April 2022

World champion Ellie Scotney said O’Connor was ‘the most beautiful human’ she ever met.

Scotney said: ‘I was so blessed with not just a friend for 10 years, but a sister for life. Even when life was on a timer, you never let anything dim that light of yours. A smile that never ever fades, and a heart that will forever live on in so many ways.

‘There was nothing you couldn’t do, the world at your very feet no matter what room you entered.’

O’Connor shone during an amateur career that saw her win gold at the Commonwealth Youth Games in 2017.

She also claimed a silver medal at the 2017 World Youth Championships, before earning a bronze in the same tournament the following year.

England Boxing joined in tributes to O’Connor following the news of her passing, writing on X: ‘We’re deeply saddened by the passing of Georgia O’Connor.

‘A gifted boxer and beloved member of the amateur boxing community, she won medals at the Commonwealth Youth Games, Youth Worlds & European Championships.

‘Our thoughts are with her loved ones.’

England Boxing paid tribute to O’Connor following the news of her passing, writing on X: ‘We’re deeply saddened by the passing of Georgia O’Connor’

The middleweight contender turned professional in 2021 and amassed an unbeaten 3-0 record prior to her cancer diagnosis. 

She fought on the undercard of former world champion Savannah Marshall back in April 2022 in her home city of Newcastle.

Her final fight came on the undercard of Marshall’s huge grudge match with Claressa Shields in October 2022 when she outpointed Joyce Van Ee.

Queensberry Promotions added their own condolences, posting on X: ‘Everyone at Queensberry Promotions are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Georgia O’Connor.

‘All of our thoughts are with her friends and family during this difficult time. Rest in peace Georgia.’

MailOnline has approached Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust for comment.