During a pregnancy scan a cyst was found on Grace's ovary. It was monitored but not mentioned once she gave birth. However, two years later Grace required surgery to remove the cyst – now the size of a rugby ball. She is sharing her story to encourage women to 'listen to your body'.
In May 2022, I was six weeks pregnant with my first child. During an early scan, a cyst was identified and monitored again at my 12 and 20-week scans. After that, it was barely mentioned and wasn’t discussed at all beyond 30 weeks. I went on to have a natural birth at the birthing centre and welcomed my beautiful little boy into the world. The cyst was never mentioned again.
I cherished every moment of my maternity leave. Life felt full of joy and possibility. In September 2023, I returned to work full-time as a Special Needs Teacher. A couple of months later, I began experiencing lower back pain. I assumed it was caused by long hours sitting in uncomfortable office chairs again and carried on as normal.
Excusing symptoms before a visit to A&E
I started having spotting between periods, which was unusual for me. Again, I dismissed it quite easily, putting it down to hormonal changes after having a baby. In January 2024, I began experiencing episodes of extremely low mood. At times I felt suicidal, which was incredibly frightening because, on paper, everything in my life was going well.
My anxiety medication was increased, and my mood gradually improved. At the same time, I had gained weight and felt permanently bloated. I blamed maternity leave, comfort eating, and a busy lifestyle, so I joined Slimming World and tried to focus on getting healthier.
In February 2024, I woke one morning struggling to breathe. I was wheezing, breathless, and frightened. After attending A&E, I was given an inhaler and advised to follow up with my GP regarding possible asthma.
The following evening, while bathing my son, I was sitting on the floor when I was suddenly hit by excruciating pain on my lower right side. A wave of heat flushed through my body and the pain was overwhelming. I couldn’t even face trying to stand up. Somehow, I made it downstairs, crying to my dad and fiancé, “Something isn’t right.”
NHS 111 advised me to attend A&E with suspected appendicitis. I was assessed by the surgical team, but as the pain had settled, I was discharged again with a follow-up appointment at the hot clinic through the general surgery department.
A cyst the size of a rugby ball – too young for cancer?
Two days later, I met the doctor who changed my life.
He took one look at my fingernails and eyelids and told me he believed I was jaundiced. He immediately arranged a CT scan. That scan revealed an ovarian cyst measuring 18cm x 30cm — roughly the size of a rugby ball — with a shadow inside it. The cyst was occupying most of my abdomen.
Just five days later, I underwent elective open surgery. The gynaecologist explained that the shadow could represent a number of different things, but at no point did anyone mention cancer. At 26 years old, it simply wasn’t something I thought I needed to worry about.
The operation was a success. The cyst, along with my ovary and fallopian tube, was removed intact. After six days in hospital, 40 staples, and leaving 12 pounds lighter, I began focusing on recovery and getting back to my family. Recovery was up and down, and healing took a while as part of the wound opened again at home.
Bad news, good news
Three weeks later, I received a phone call informing me that my follow-up appointment had been changed from a telephone consultation to an in-person appointment with the oncology team. I knew immediately that something was wrong.
I still remember sitting in that room as I was told the results. The mass had been tested and was ovarian cancer. The words knocked the breath out of me. I was completely hysterical. My first thought wasn’t about me — it was about my one-year-old son. What if I wasn’t here to watch him grow up?
Thankfully, I then received the best news possible under the circumstances. The cancer had remained entirely within the ovary and was diagnosed as Stage 1A, Grade 2 ovarian cancer. As it had been caught early enough, I did not require chemotherapy. Instead, I would be monitored every six months through CT scans and blood tests. My monitoring has actually just changed, having been in remission for two years, and is now every 12 months with an ultrasound.
A new addition before another operation
Being told I had cancer, but then no longer had cancer, was incredibly difficult to process. I felt relieved, grateful, frightened, angry, and confused all at the same time. It took a long time to come to terms with everything that had happened.
Then life gave me another miracle. In July 2024, I discovered I was pregnant with my second child and welcomed my beautiful baby girl into the world in March 2025. She will always be my reminder of hope after one of the darkest chapters of my life.
This year, my journey continues as I am currently dealing with complications from the surgery that saved my life. Due to weakness in my abdominal wall, I have developed an abdominal hernia and was waiting to hear about what surgery I would need to resolve it. In June 2026 it was confirmed that once I’ve finished my family, I’ll need an Abdominal Wall Reconstruction due to the wall breaking down since the cancer surgery. This will also be completed with a full hysterectomy. I’m also waiting on results, after a genetics appointment earlier this year, to see if I carry Lynch Syndrome.
Listen to your body and seek help sooner
Although my story is ongoing and there is a lot still to process, I wanted to share my experience so far as I’m passionate about every woman knowing how important it is to listen to your body.
Many of my symptoms were easy to explain away — back pain, bloating, weight gain, irregular bleeding, breathlessness, changes in mood. I convinced myself there was a reason for all of them but looking back, they were the warning signs that something wasn’t right.
Cervical screenings (smear tests) do not detect ovarian cancer. If you are experiencing any symptoms that concern you, speak to your doctor, ask questions, and advocate for yourself. You know your body better than anyone else.
I was one of the lucky ones. My cancer was found early, before it had spread, but the ‘what ifs’ will always live quietly in the back of my mind. If sharing my story encourages even just one person to seek help sooner, then it will have been worth telling.
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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