Imagine | Winter 2024
A digital magazine from Irwin Mitchell
Imagine | Winter 2024 A digital magazine from Irwin Mitchell
Imagine | Winter 2024
A digital magazine from Irwin Mitchell
Mum-of-three Sarah was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2016, less than three years after her smear test was reported as normal. Since being given “the all clear” she encourages all women and people with a cervix to attend their cervical screening.
Sarah has written a book about her experience called, The Spider in Mummy’s Tummy, which is the name her then two-year-old son gave her cancer. She says, “I hope that by sharing my story, it will raise awareness of the symptoms of cervical cancer and help people know what to look out for. I wouldn’t want anyone else to suffer like I have.”
We caught up with Sarah to hear more about her journey.
Mum-of-three Sarah was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2016, less than three years after her smear test was reported as normal. Since being given “the all clear” she encourages all women and people with a cervix to attend their cervical screening.
Sarah has written a book about her experience called, The Spider in Mummy’s Tummy, which is the name her then two-year-old son gave her cancer. She says, “I hope that by sharing my story, it will raise awareness of the symptoms of cervical cancer and help people know what to look out for. I wouldn’t want anyone else to suffer like I have.”
We caught up with Sarah to hear more about her journey.
Can you tell us how you found out you had cervical cancer and when were you first diagnosed?
“I started having abdominal pain and unusual bleeding in about August 2015. I saw my GP and the first thing they said was let’s have a look at your cervical screenings. I’d had a smear test two years before and the results had come back fine, so they thought it might be endometriosis. We discussed a few options, and I ended up going for a laparoscopy to find out what was going on. Unfortunately, whilst I was having the laparoscopy, that’s when they found the cervical cancer. They found a visible tumour on my cervix at the time. I was diagnosed with stage 1, B1 cervical cancer in 2016.”
What symptoms did you experience?
“The first symptom I got was very painful periods. I’d always had quite heavy periods, but they became more and more painful overtime, to the point where I was struggling to go to work due to the discomfort. As time went on, they became more irregular, and I was bleeding at different times of the month. I also had this lower abdominal cramp that became more noticeable and more frequent. Then that became lower back pain as well.”
What treatment did you have?
“I was told that the doctors wouldn’t be able to remove all the cancerous cells, so they offered me a hysterectomy and said they thought that would be the best treatment. Fortunately for me, I already had three children, so I went for the surgery to give me the best chances really. I did have some laser treatment which wasn’t successful. So, it was followed up with a radical hysterectomy. Afterwards I was given the all clear, everything was looking good, and I started to heal.”
It wasn’t long before you started to experience new symptoms. How did you feel when you found out the cancer had come back?
“Three months later I started with severe backache, which was stopping me from doing normal everyday tasks. I went back to my consultant in January 2017 and within two weeks I found out that the cancer had returned.”
Cervical cancer podcast
In our special podcast on cervical cancer, our host and medical negligence expert Samuel Hill is joined by our client Sarah and Bridget Little from Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust as they discuss:
- What it’s like to be diagnosed with cervical cancer and how to talk about it with your family
- The importance of cervical screening
- The signs and symptoms to look out for
- The support that’s available around attending your screening, receiving a diagnosis, and coping with treatment.
Cervical Cancer Podcast
In our special podcast on cervical cancer, our host and medical negligence expert Samuel Hill is joined by our client Sarah and Bridget Little from Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust as they discuss:
- What it’s like to be diagnosed with cervical cancer and how to talk about it with your family
- The importance of cervical screening
- The signs and symptoms to look out for
- The support that’s available around attending your screening, receiving a diagnosis, and coping with treatment.
You mentioned you had a lot of concerns about the HPV virus after you’d finished your treatment. Can you tell us more about what worried you?
“When I finished my treatment, I had a fear that the HPV virus was going to get passed back to me. I had a fear of resuming intimacy with my husband, thinking we were going to pass this infection back to each other and that it would cause the cancer again. I thought it was like a cold or the flu, something that goes away and then comes back again. Having looked into it more, I realised that actually a very high number of people have this virus and the concern of whether it turns into cancer or not.
“Having your regular screenings can help to identify those changes early but it’s not going to be everybody who’s got the virus that gets these changes.”
“I’ve got two teenage girls and they’ve both had the HPV vaccine at school now I understand the importance of it. But had I not been through what I’ve been through, maybe I’d be a little bit unsure of why they were having it.”
At the time of being diagnosed, you had a young family. How did a cancer diagnosis impact you all?
“When I first got diagnosed, my children were two, five and six. We were really open and honest about what was happening to me. My five- and six-year-old were able to understand a little bit more what cancer was but trying to explain to a two-year-old was much harder. He decided that there was a spider in mummy’s tummy and the doctors were going to get it out to make me feel better. Then when the cancer came back and I had to have chemotherapy and radiotherapy, we explained it like the doctors were using laser beams to shoot the spider out and that helped him understand, it clicked for him. My eldest suffered from anxiety. She was so young when it happened that she thought that I was going to die, she thought someone was going to kidnap me during the night. She ended up having counselling, which helped.”
What motivated you to write your book, The Spider in Mummy’s Tummy?
“After my treatments, I suffered from anxiety. I ended up seeing a counsellor and she suggested writing it all down. I started to think that maybe other people are going through what I went through, they are feeling the same as me. I thought that if I shared my story, hopefully I’d help people reading it, and help them understand that the anxiety is normal. I had friends telling me ‘You’ve done it! You’ve beaten cancer’, but it didn’t help me. I would think that because I’m alive now, it came back last time, it could come back again. It’s written in my words, it’s raw and uncut. My eldest daughter has read my book, she’s 14 now, and it’s helped her to understand what we went through at the time.”
What motivated you to write your book, The Spider in Mummy’s Tummy?
“After my treatments, I suffered from anxiety. I ended up seeing a counsellor and she suggested writing it all down. I started to think that maybe other people are going through what I went through, they are feeling the same as me.
I thought that if I shared my story, hopefully I’d help people reading it, and help them understand that the anxiety is normal. I had friends telling me ‘You’ve done it! You’ve beaten cancer’, but it didn’t help me.
I would think that because I’m alive now, it came back last time, it could come back again. It’s written in my words, it’s raw and uncut. My eldest daughter has read my book, she’s 14 now, and it’s helped her to understand what we went through at the time.”
Your book, starts by encouraging every woman or person with a cervix to attend their cervical screening. How do you feel about going to your cervical screenings and why do you think they’re so important?
“My mum’s a nurse, so it’s always been part of our family. I’ve always gone to my screenings.
“But I appreciate that for some people it’s not easy. I remember going to the opticians and having to disclose my past treatments. She had said that her mum had cancer which gave her the fear, she’d rather not know.
“I’d never thought about it like that. I told her my story a little bit and said that these things get progressively worse. If you can catch them early the treatment is less invasive and has much more chance of success.”
“I know it’s uncomfortable but trust me, it’s less uncomfortable than what I had to go through. You can take a friend with you or practice breathing exercises, but it’s always worth going and getting checked.”
“Through our work, we sadly see the devastating effects that cervical cancer can have. Sarah’s story is a stark reminder and she’s keen to raise awareness of the symptoms of the disease, while also sharing how she’s maximising life after cancer.”
Samuel Hill - Partner, Medical Negligence
“Through our work, we sadly see the devastating effects that cervical cancer can have. Sarah’s story is a stark reminder and she’s keen to raise awareness of the symptoms of the disease, while also sharing how she’s maximising life after cancer.”
Samuel Hill
Partner, Medical Negligence
How’s life now, almost six years later?
“I’m now almost six years down the line. I went through the menopause as part of treatment at age 30, which was difficult. I’m lucky enough that I already had three children, so I didn’t consider it that much.
“But obviously the loss of my fertility is a massive issue. I’ve had chemo so I have a foggy chemo brain which is something that I’ve had to get used to.
“After the treatment I was a different person, my life was very different. But having said that, I’m now retraining as a midwife and I’m doing a job that I love. My life right now feels really good.”
What message would you give to anyone going through the same thing you did?
"For anyone going through the same thing, you do come through the other side. I don’t worry about my health anymore. As time’s gone on, I’ve learnt to accept and embrace this new life.
“It’s a part of who I am but it doesn’t define me. I’m still me, I’m still mum. If you are going through it right now and you might be thinking this is it. It feels awful. I’ve been there. I’ve felt that but now my life is good.”
Support is available
Thank you to Sarah for sharing her inspiring story with us.
If you, or someone you know is worried about attending a cervical screen, test results, or you’ve been diagnosed with cervical cancer, support is available.
Our charity partner Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust has a dedicated helpline where you can ask any questions about cervical cancer and prevention – 0808 802 8000. More information is available on their website jostrust.org.uk
Support is available
Thank you to Sarah for sharing her inspiring story with us.
If you, or someone you know is worried about attending a cervical screen, test results, or you’ve been diagnosed with cervical cancer, support is available.
Our charity partner Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust has a dedicated helpline where you can ask any questions about cervical cancer and prevention – 0808 802 8000. More information is available on their website jostrust.org.uk
Legal support
If you’ve suffered due to a late or incorrect cancer diagnosis, our experts are here to help. As the leading medical negligence firm in the UK, we know how to make a difference. Our team of specialist solicitors will take time to get to know you and your situation, and work to get you the help and compensation you deserve.