'Our mum survived cancer misdiagnosis - but dad then took his own life'

When Mary Crowley was diagnosed with terminal cancer at the age of 67, her family turned their lives upside down in a bid to make her life as good as possible in the time she had left.

Mary and her husband David moved away from their beloved home in Tomintoul, Moray, in 2023. And their son moved his family from England to Scotland's central belt, so they could all be closer to each other.

However, when it later transpired there had actually been a misdiagnosis, David struggled to cope with the mixture of emotions - and took his own life at the age of 70 in early 2024.

Mary has since completed her treatment for what was actually stage one breast cancer, and was free from cancer at her last appointment.

NHS Grampian has apologised for "errors" and the "distress" caused, but the family has spoken about the anger that remains about what happened.

The case emerged after the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) upheld a complaint from the family about the standard of care provided.

They got married in 1978, and moved to Tomintoul in the 1980s, where David worked as a GP, and Mary was the practice manager.

A biopsy revealed cancer, and then after a MRI scan she was told she had stage four metastatic breast cancer.

"We were not expecting a late stage cancer diagnosis," daughter Lizzie, 46, told BBC Scotland News.

"There is always uncertainty in diagnosis, but this was conveyed as certainty.

"We automatically went into planning mode and made huge life-changing decisions."

The couple's other two children are Emily, 49, and 43-year-old Ed.

"We sold the family home which they both loved," Lizzie said of her mother and father's life in Tomintoul. "And my brother moved to Scotland from England."

It was all done "to look after my dad after, we assumed, our mum's demise".

Mary started treatment associated with the advanced disease - including teeth extractions - but David was questioning the diagnosis.

"As a former GP, he initially trusted what he was being told," Lizzie said.

"However, he became increasingly concerned and ultimately pushed very hard for independent second opinions when these were not being secured locally."

"One of the questions that still troubles me is what would have happened if my dad had not had the medical knowledge, confidence and determination to challenge the diagnosis," Lizzie said.

"My dad was so stressed by all of that. I don't think he believed that it was not true.

"It broke him, having to fight what he thought were trusted colleagues within the medical profession.

"My dad was diagnosed with acute adjustment disor