In February 1998, at the age of 30, I finally committed to having my ‘first’ cervical smear test, having received numerous invitations from my GP practice over the years and dismissing them. I’m not really sure why I didn’t take up the opportunity previously, possibly due to my preconceived embarrassment with the procedure being carried out by a complete stranger or through lack of knowledge as to why the tests were so important.
On this occasion, when the cervical screening invitation came through, I had my wedding scheduled for the beginning of July and my partner and I were hoping to start a family shortly after getting married. ‘He’ thankfully persuaded me to attend.
The smear itself was relatively painless. I’m not going to lie, I still found the procedure a little embarrassing, but the nurse who performed it was reassuring and soon made me feel at ease. Unfortunately, when I received my results a few weeks later I was recalled to undergo a biopsy, revealing that I already had stage 2B cervical cancer.
I subsequently had to have a radical hysterectomy. This was devastating news, I had no symptoms and felt really healthy. My dreams of having a family were crushed, not to mention us having to deal with the fact that I had cancer and could lose my life.
At the time, I was informed by my gynaecologist that if I had become pregnant the cancer would have progressed at a faster rate, meaning that I would have had to make a choice; to save my own life and terminate the pregnancy, or risk mine by continuing with the pregnancy, which I’m sure would have broken my heart.
Now, you may think that this is a tragic story, but following surgery and 10 years’ follow-up hospital appointments to check that the cancer hadn’t come back, I’m happy to say that I have had a lovely life. My wedding went ahead as planned and we will be celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary on 4th July this year.
However, the surgery, stress and ongoing physical health issues caused by the cancer could most probably have been avoided if the abnormal cells had been detected at an earlier treatable stage and I have my husband and the medical team to thank for saving my life.
So in short, I am more than happy to share my experience to help to save another life, or someone’s dream of having a family, please, learn from my mistake, take up the opportunity to go for your cervical smears, encourage your friends and family to do the same, it only takes a few minutes!
Lesley Dolby
Quality and Compliance Manager, Cygnet Hospital Stevenage
Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust is running a campaign to encourage women and people with a cervix to share their experiences and to attend their smear test. Join the conversation on social media and use the hashtag #LetsTalkScreening
For a host of useful resources and advice about cervical screening please visit the Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust website.