Nurse diagnosed with stage three ovarian cancer at age 24 says she ignored the warning signs and urges women to take notice of the tell-tale symptoms
- Australian nurse Emma was diagnosed with ovarian cancer aged 24 years old
- She had surgery to remove a 15-centimetre mass from her pelvis after she felt it
- Doctors diagnosed Emma with cancer while she was recovering from surgery
- She had no family history and attributed her symptoms to her lifestyle changes
A nurse diagnosed with stage three ovarian cancer after feeling a solid mass in her pelvis has warned other women to see a doctor if they notice persistent symptoms.
Emma was 24 years old in December 2011 when she had surgery to remove the 15-centimetre mass.
‘The doctor called and asked me to see him but I couldn’t because I was recovering in Canberra, so he gave me my diagnosis over the phone,’ Emma, now 33, told FEMAIL.
‘It was one month before my 25th birthday… I was home alone when I was told that I had cancer.’
Australian nurse Emma (pictured) was diagnosed with stage three ovarian cancer after feeling a solid mass in her pelvis
Emma had no family history of cancer and had returned from a Navy deployment in the Middle East.
She was planning a Contiki tour when she noticed symptoms but attributed them to lifestyle changes.
‘I was frequently urinating but I put that down to going to the gym and drinking water. I was feeling bloated but that could have been changes to food,’ she said.
‘I also noticed spotting but I was on an injectable contraception and thought it was a result of that.’
‘But I eventually went to the doctor because I was lying in bed and I felt a solid mass in my pelvis,’ she said.
She had surgery to removed the 15-centimetre mass and while she was recovering a ‘doctor called and gave me my diagnosis over the phone’. Pictured Emma celebrating her 25th birthday while in hospital and going through chemotherapy
Emma (pictured on her first Anzac Day after completing treatment) had three cycles of chemo and doctors ‘saved her right ovary so she could potentially have children in the future’
After the doctor diagnosed her, Emma visited a specialist in Sydney who told her she needed to start chemotherapy.
‘I went to the hospital with my mum and we saw all these people attached to the IV pumps. I was soon going to be one of those people,’ she said.
Emma had three cycles of chemotherapy and doctors ‘saved her right ovary so she could potentially have children in the future.’
She completed her treatment in February 2012 and to celebrate she learnt how to scuba dive.
‘I learnt to scuba dive one year later to mark the anniversary [of being cancer free], because diving reminds me I’m free.’
Emma’s experience and the ‘compassionate nurses’ inspired her to became a nurse and she finished her degree at the end of last year.
She explained: ‘When patients have a feeling something isn’t right, I listen to them. I’m more sympathetic.’
She said that her own experience also helps her to understand patients’ needs and how they feel.
Emma (pictured) completed her treatment in February 2012 and to celebrate she learnt how to scuba dive
Emma’s experience inspired her to became a registered nurse and she finished her degree at the end of last year. Pictured Emma and Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Teal Day last month
Emma encourages other woman to visit their doctors if they notice changes in their body.
‘If you’ve got symptoms that are persistent then don’t ignore them and go to your GP,’ she said.
Emma added: ‘Young women do get [ovarian cancer too] and often it isn’t diagnosed till later stages.’
According to the Cancer Council, only 46 per cent of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer survive five years after their diagnosis.