It was December 2018 and I had been experiencing abdominal pain for about two weeks before we decided to go to A&E. At this point we assumed it was appendicitis.
Looking back I had also experienced fatigue as a symptom, we just didn’t think to put the two together at the time.
Not just a simple surgery
After being examined, I was transferred to another hospital and told that it was most likely appendicitis. Once there I was sent for an ultrasound and blood test, which is when they then told me I had a twisted ovary.
Being so young I do remember being confused as to what was happening. I also didn’t think it was that serious, the doctors explained it to my mum as a simple surgery to correct the ovary.
We got the blood test results back around a day later and my doctor at the hospital took another look at the ultrasound. That was when we got a call to say we would have to go to Leeds General Infirmary (LGI) immediately.
At LGI the doctors sent me for an MRI scan and that is when they confirmed with my mum that they’d found a tumour.
I remember all the information being told to my mum first, then she would help explain it to me as best she could. My operation was scheduled for a week later where they would remove my left ovary and fallopian tube.
Stage 4 diagnosis and a clinical trial
The surgery lasted four hours and was a success. It was after the surgery when I was told that it was cancer. As it had spread to my lungs already it was diagnosed as stage 4 ovarian germ cell cancer and I would have to undergo chemotherapy.
Due to my cancer being advanced, I was a candidate for a clinical trail for BEP chemotherapy. BEP is a combination of drugs – bleomycin, etoposide and cisplatin.
My first round happened the same month as surgery, finishing on Christmas Eve. Each round meant a week in hospital, with the actual chemotherapy lasting two days.
The trial meant that I only had four rounds of chemotherapy and not the usual six. This was a very intense chemotherapy regime, and at the time I was told that it was usually just used on adults.
It made me fragile, weak and very poorly. I remember having to be carried back into the house after driving home from the hospital.
Getting older and wanting to know more
In March 2019 I was told that the chemotherapy had worked!
Initially I still had to have monthly blood tests and then an MRI every three months, but that has become less frequent now. And luckily nothing has ever shown up as something to worry about. As the clinical trial is still live, I have recently been moved across to long-term follow up care.
As I got older, I did become more curious about my diagnosis and treatment. Being so young at the time, everything went through my mum and I wasn’t really told anything in detail. I wanted to know what had happened to me.
I’ve now had counselling to understand it more and have met other teenagers that have had cancer so I can speak more openly about it.
Seven years on from my diagnosis, I'm now studying to be a hairdresser at college.
I found Target Ovarian Cancer on social media and wanted to share my story to show that ovarian cancer can affect young people - it can happen at any age – so if you think something isn’t right, get it checked out.
If you’ve been affected by this story and would like to speak to a specialist nurse, you can call our dedicated support line on 0808 802 6000 or contact us: [email protected]. We're open from 9am until 5pm, Monday to Friday.
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