Channel swimmer’s health battle: 16 months of missed diagnoses lead to stage-four cancer

Victoria Rodwell, a 31-year-old East Malling PE teacher who swam the Channel in 2022, went 16 months with swallowing problems while doctors told her nothing was wrong, and was only diagnosed in January with stage-four oesophageal cancer; she lost significant weight and faces fertility impacts, while Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust says it is investigating—highlighting the push for GPs to reconsider diagnoses after multiple visits (Jess’s Rule).