Australian Nikki Francis (25) she led an active life – she devoted herself to work, motherhood and liked to spend time in nature, well everything changed the moment postpartum menstrual problems turned out to be cervical cancer, writes a diary.
The woman had a regular cycle before the birth of her two children, Henry (6) and Ollie (4). She felt a significant change only after her second pregnancy, when her cycle became irregular, heavy and painful to the point that she could only lie in bed.
“I knew something was wrong, that it couldn’t be normal for anyone, let alone someone young. The week before my period and then the two weeks after were so bad I was curled up in a ball,” she explained.
Still, Nikki continued to work and live her life as best she could. “I’ve never taken time off just because something hurts. I needed money. I had to live. I’m that simple,” she admitted. However, the turning point occurred when the unclear results of the cytological examination finally revealed the overwhelming truth.
“The nurse told me that something was wrong. That she didn’t want to scare me, but that my cervix shouldn’t look like this,” she described a moment that was a harbinger of the worst. Nikki just a few days later she received a devastating diagnosis of stage 2 cervical cancer. “It broke me. I didn’t even understand what was happening. I was stunned. I couldn’t believe it. I asked what they meant, because I’m 25 years old,” she explained.
Fortunately, the cancer has not spread beyond the cervix and doctors are confident they can surgically remove it. Nikki will then undergo six rounds of chemotherapy and radiation to make sure any remaining cancer cells are gone.
At the same time, her surgeon is determined to preserve as much of her cervix as possible so she can have children—which means everything to Nikki. “As a young girl, I’m terrified of losing my hair. But as vain as it sounds, I’d rather lose my hair than have to have a hysterectomy and not be able to have more children in the future.” admitted.
Now looking to the future, she has simple but powerful dreams of returning to the life she loves with Henry and Ollie. Nikki admits that she is afraid of chemotherapy because she doesn’t know how her body will react to it. However, she is determined to continue working if possible.
Not only for financial reasons, but also for her mental health, but above all she wants to raise awareness among other young women. “If something’s wrong, get it checked out, get tested. I know a cytology sounds scary, trust me. But do it because it could save your life.” she insisted.
