An East Lancashire woman, who lost her fertility at 22, has urged women to look out for symptoms of ovarian cancer so they can avoid the “horrendous” year that she has to endure.
Phoebe Usher, from Rossendale, is also urging people to donate to a local charity boxing event which is being held in aid of Ovarian Cancer Action.
Phoebe, 23, found out she has stage 3b ovarian cancer at the start of 2021, after dismissing her symptoms as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or an infection.
He oncologist later predicted that her ovarian cancer may have started to develop, unnoticed, in her teenage years.
After hearing her cancer diagnosis, Phoebe, who was a trainee nursing associate at the time, said she began to fear the worst and started thinking about her funeral.
She said: “Your own mortality goes through your head and I was just thinking about my funeral and everything.
“However, I surprised myself as I thought I was going to have a breakdown after being diagnosed with cancer.”
After finding a mass on her right ovary, which they initially thought was a cyst, doctors decided to remove it and the ovary with it.
However, this wouldn’t be enough to prevent the cancer from spreading and Phoebe had to undergo a full hysterectomy, at just 22, in order to save her life.
She said: “I knew a hysterectomy was the right thing to do. It wasn’t really an option – it was either have this or face the worst case scenario if I left it.
“It was hard, don’t get me wrong. It was the hardest thing I have ever had to go through but it was definitely the right thing.
“Thankfully, I was able to freeze my eggs in April. Hopefully, this will allow me to have my own child through a surrogate, when I am older.”
Since then, Phoebe has endured a “horrendous” year and months of chemotherapy.
She said: “The past five months of my life being on chemotherapy has been absolutely horrendous. I have been so ill words couldn’t even describe - physically and mentally.
“Being bed bound, unable to do normal day to day tasks and being unable to see the people I love. Plus, I almost died in December from neutropenic sepsis.”
Fertility isn’t the only thing that cancer has taken away from her and Phoebe says her hair loss has massively knocked her confidence.
She said: “I started my chemotherapy in October and my hair more or less started to fall out straight away. I was brushing my hair in the shower and it all just started coming out.
“That night, my boyfriend and family gathered around me as I shaved it off – and dad said he would shave his hair off with me so I didn’t feel on my own.
“It was a hard thing because I loved my hair – it was thick, it was blonde, it was luscious. Everyone always wished they had my hair.”
Thankfully, Phoebe was given the ‘all clear’ in January and is currently tumour free in all of her scans.
As it is currently Ovarian Cancer Awareness month, Phoebe is urging women to pay attention to their bodies and look out for the signs and symptoms of the cancer.
For Phoebe, some of her symptoms included bloating, frequent urination and stomach aches.
According to the NHS website, here are the full list of ovarian cancer symptoms:
- swollen tummy or feeling bloated
- pain or tenderness in your tummy or the area between the hips (pelvis)
- no appetite or feeling full quickly after eating
- an urgent need to pee or needing to pee more often
Other symptoms of ovarian cancer can include:
- indigestion
- constipation or diarrhoea
- back pain
- feeling tired all the time
- losing weight without trying
- bleeding from the vagina after the menopause
They recommend booking an appointment with a GP if you have any of the symptoms listed above.
In honour of Ovarian Cancer Action, Phoebe is urging people to donate to a boxing charity night.
Star for a Night III gives regular members of the public a chance to train like professional boxers with a free eight week training camp.
This will all culminate in a black tie charity boxing event at The Ashcroft, Whitworth, Rochdale, on 27 May.
Each boxer taking part has been asked to raise a minimum of £100 and will be trained at Rossendale Community Boxing Club in Rawtenstall, which is owned by Phoebe’s dad, David Usher.
You can also donate to the cause via Phoebe’s JustGiving page. They are hoping to raise £2,500 and have raised over £600 so far.
Find out more about the event, and how to donate, by visiting the Rossendale Boxing Promotions website: https://rossendaleboxingpromotions.com/
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