The mother of two children remained sterile after treatment, but she is still alive.
Carla Woods, 29, has always taken her health seriously. She and her husband had a daughter, but they were planning another child, so Karla always went to screenings on time, got tested for HPV, and underwent all the necessary examinations.
“I missed it only once, when I got pregnant with our youngest, Freya,” says Karla.
It is simply impossible to imagine what a shock she experienced when, after the birth of her second daughter, she was diagnosed with cervical cancer. The tumor in the young mother was only seen during childbirth. Yes, with the naked eye – the tumor was the size of a tangerine. Probably, because of the size, even obstetricians did not immediately understand what it was. They decided that myoma, and made an appointment with the young mother to a specialized specialist. And he already, after conducting a biopsy, realized: things are bad.
It turned out that metastases had already crawled through the inguinal lymph nodes, a little more – and the cancer will no longer be stopped. An urgent intervention was needed.
“I did not have any symptoms typical for this type of cancer, and even tumors of this size, – said Karla. … – No pain, no bleeding. And the ultrasound also showed nothing. I needed chemotherapy and two types of radiation therapy to cope with all of this.
One type of radiation therapy – brachytherapy – has resulted in infertility. With this method of treatment, a radioactive carrier is placed inside the patient’s body, and continuously emits radiation that kills malignant cells. But despite this, Karla considers herself lucky.
Complete remission. Carla coped with the disease
“Yes, I won’t be able to have any more children. Yes, I didn’t dream of spending my maternity leave. But I have two wonderful daughters. And if it were not for Freya, our youngest, it is generally not known whether I would be alive now, ”says Karla.
She is sincerely convinced that her little girl saved her life. After all, if obstetricians had not seen a tumor during childbirth, it would have grown further, spreading metastases to other organs.
“It is very important to always get your cervical screening on time. For some reason, women are sure that nothing like this can happen to them. But many of us are dying of cancer! It is better to spend half an hour of your life on tests, but then be sure that nothing threatens you, ”Karla believes.