At 57 years old, I found out I had womb endometrial cancer in June 2025, following some post-menopausal bleeding. I had a hysterectomy in August and found out, following pathology, it was stage 3, grade 2 cancer. I then went on to have 25 radiotherapy sessions and 6 chemotherapy sessions.
I would like to raise awareness to others to spot the signs.
Post-menopausal bleeding needs to be looked into. I ignored this for about 2 years, saying to myself, ‘it was the tail end of menopause, nothing to worry about’. I also had a bloated stomach, which I just put down as menopause, and I had lower back pain. Again, as women, we put this down to menopausal symptoms when it shouldn’t be dismissed. If I can help just one person to get themselves checked out through my experience, then I have helped someone not go through what I had to go through.
Through my experience, l lost some friends I thought were best friends, but they kept their distance and never checked in on me. I felt disappointed, but I also gained some friends who I never knew I had, who reached out and took me to radiotherapy appointments, which meant so much. I learned who my friends were. I lost my mum to ovarian cancer when I was 19 years old, and my dad passed away in 2024, so I have no family. My partner was very supportive.
What I wish I’d known earlier was that post-menopausal bleeding is not normal. I wish I had known that. What helped me during this time was the support of kindness and people taking me to those radiotherapy appointments, and also the support of foundations and charities like yourself that specialise in gynae cancers.
I want to share my story to raise awareness and help other women and girls to look out for any symptoms. I would say to someone going through something similar: there is light at the end of the tunnel, and you will get through this. You think you won’t at the time, but trust the treatment. It’s scary, but don’t be afraid to ask for help.
I would like readers to be aware of their bodies. If it doesn’t feel right, don’t ignore the signs. Get yourselves checked out, and please speak to your girlfriends about menopause and all those things. We don’t speak enough about these important things: women’s health.
I’m a fitness instructor. Throughout my journey, the radiotherapy and chemotherapy, I still went and taught all of my classes. I teach spinning. I was determined. I would have 9 hours of chemotherapy on Friday, every 3 weeks, and would teach 3 spin classes the next day at David Lloyd. As an instructor, I was determined I would get through this. I was in 'fight or flight’ mode. I wore the cold cap, but I still lost 80% of my hair, which is now growing back curly. I was told I had an 80% chance of the cancer spreading to my lungs.
I have now had 2 all-clear CT contrast dye scans. I am being scanned every 4 months for the next 5 years, and I am currently in remission. I am grateful for every day and for the treatment I had.