At 28 years old the last thing you expect to hear is you have cancer! I had been for my annual gynecological exam and the doctor called me back in for a follow-up. Not a good sign. At the appointment, he informed me I had Cervical Cancer and was unsure how far it had spread and wanted to do a couple of non-invasive procedures first.

He did two procedures without success and the decision was made I needed a hysterectomy. It was hard to hear at that young of an age, not to mention I was not married and had no children. Not that children were high on my list since I was very career-driven but it was an option.

When looking further into my family history he noticed both my mother and grandmother had Ovarian Cancer at a young age, both had a hysterectomy, and my risk of developing it was high. He recommended a total hysterectomy which meant having children was no longer an option.

It only took a few minutes to decide my health was most important and developing cancer a second time was not a risk I wanted to take.

The surgery was a success and I did not require chemotherapy which was a huge blessing.

Please keep your annual appointments, one year can make all the difference.

I don’t have any children and my life is still full and no worse off without them. I would rather be at a lower risk of repeat cancer, it was a great decision.

Melinda