A Labour MP today choked back tears as she told how her daughter died of breast cancer at just 35 years-old.
In an emotionally charged speech, Karen Lee revealed that her daughter Lynsey Taylor died from the illness – leaving her three young children without a mother.
Ms Lee, 59, an ambassador for the Breast Cancer Now charity, said she is determined to do all she could to raise awareness about the illness since being elected MP last year.
She told the House of Commons: ‘I used to say to her “I’ve had so much of my life, more than you, I wish it could be me”.
‘And she used to say “Mum, I wish it could be no-one”.
Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn meets supporter Geraldine Braybrooke, a former miner’s wife and miner’s daughter (left), and Karen Lee, Labour’s candidate for Lincoln, as he arrives to speak to a group of pensioners at Age UK in Lincoln, during a General Election campaign event in Lincoln
‘I just think as parliamentarians we’ve got the power to influence this and change it.
‘Maybe we can join together across this House and make Breast Cancer Now’s vision a reality, and that by 2050 nobody need die of breast cancer.’
Ms Lee was comforted by other MPs on the green benches around her as she was visibly upset at talking about the tragedy.
While shadow health minister Sharon Hodgson seen dabbing her eyes as she teared up at the moving words.
Ms Lee, the MP for Lincoln, told of her family’s own tragedy as she spoke out during a Commons debate on cancer.
In an emotionally charged speech, Karen Lee revealed that her daughter Lynsey Taylor died from the illness – leaving her three young children without a mother
The MP said: ‘My Lynsey was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer in April 2010 and she died just 13 months later.
‘She was a very bright girl, she had a degree in politics and a degree in social work and she worked with underprivileged children.
‘She also had a husband and three small children – they were two, four and seven when she died.’
Ms Lee cited a report which raised concerns over staff shortages and the impact this was having on patients and added: ‘My daughter developed a brain tumour – that’s a common secondary of breast cancer – and she used to have to go for radiotherapy. It’s truly traumatic.
‘She used to see flashing blue and white lights, she had to wear a mask and the really upsetting thing was that because of staff shortages she often had to be laid around on a trolley waiting for things.
Ms Lee, 59, an ambassador for the Breast Cancer Now charity, said she is determined to do all she could to raise awareness about the illness since being elected MP last year
‘If you can imagine what it’s like laying on a hospital trolley when you’ve got cancer in your bone, it’s just so distressing. That’s the effect on patients of short-staffing.’
The Lincoln MP said she was choosing to discuss cancer from the perspective of patients and raised the aspiration of Breast Cancer Now to ensure that no-one dies from breast cancer by 2050.
She earlier said: ‘One in eight women develop breast cancer in their lifetime and 80 per cent survive for five years.
‘Around 95 per cent of women will survive one year – my daughter survived 13 months.
‘But recent data shows that 11,500 women and 80 men in the UK still die from breast cancer.’
The emotional scenes in Parliament came after Theresa May met Baroness Jowell today as she announced a £45million boost to improve care for the disease threatening to claim her life.
The emotional scenes in Parliament came after Theresa May met Baroness Jowell today as she announced a £45million boost to improve care for the disease threatening to claim her life.
The Prime Minister warmly embraced the Labour peer when they met to discuss brain cancer care in Whitehall.
The pair spent many years locked in political battle when Lady Jowell was in government and Mrs May was serving on the Tory frontbench in Opposition.
But there was no sign of the rivalry as the premier greeted Lady Jowell and her family, describing her as an ‘inspiration’.