A 26-year-old woman with advanced cervical cancer has warned women to never miss regular smears she has mistaken her symptoms for complications caused by contraception.
Jasmin McKee, from Southampton, began to experience bleeding after sex in February last year, but assumed that it was the result of a recent procedure that suited her intra -uterine device (IUD).
The financial operating manager had also postponed her screening for cervical cancer for a few months due to nervousness about the procedure.
“I had fairly tough periods and bad back pain and would be really tired, but I always put it down on hormones and my period,” she said.
‘The doctors have given me a very long sheet of information about possible side effects [of the coil] But I didn’t read it.
“Nobody wants to think the worst ever, so that’s why I didn’t really think about bleeding and I just wiped it out.”
But when she finally attended her cervical screening, offered to all women aged 25 to 64 at the NHS, doctors discovered abnormal cells.
This led to a biopsy that stipulated that the cells were ‘high risk’ to develop into cancer.
The 26-year-old postponed cervical impressions for a few months because of feeling nervous about the potentially painful procedure, but was pleasantly surprised
Mrs. McKee is a sharp festival visitor, but has had to cancel all her schemes because of her continuous treatment
Subsequent blood tests and scans led to a diagnosis of stage three cervical cancer in September 2024 – which meant that the disease spread outside the cervix, usually to the pelvic wall or to nearby lymph nodes.
Only half of the patients who have seen their cancer at this stage will live more than five years.
Mrs. McKee decided to have a hysterectomy or start chemotherapy to protect her opportunities to have children in one day.
Instead, she underwent a laser treatment to remove the tumors.
It is as if the world is not going to move anymore, “said Mrs. McKee about her diagnosis.
‘They use all these big words and talk to you in a way that is really difficult to understand.
‘It is that numb feeling, I don’t think I have stopped feeling that way. It is as if I live in ‘The in-Between’.
Unfortunately, the laser treatment could not destroy all cancer.
About two women in Britain die every day of cervical cancer, which was famous on TV personality Jade Goody at the age of only 27.
Mrs. McKee donated her hair to the Little Princess Trust Charity, together with £ 2,000 she picked up.
So in February this year, the festival lover radiotherapy started in an attempt to destroy more of the disease, and underwent Freezing eggs to retain its fertility.
Since then she has undergone two cycles of chemotherapy and decided to donate her to the Little Princess Trust Charity, together with £ 2,000 she picked up.
“I thought, if I losing my hair, I might as well do it on my conditions and do something good with it,” she said.
“The doctor said it was likely that I was unable to have children naturally and that is the worst result for me.
‘I am someone who goes to many festivals and performances and I had to cancel my festivals this year, so that is pretty disturbing.
“The financial burden is disturbing. Fortunately I am currently working, but as the treatment progresses, I can’t work.
Mrs. McKee urges people to go for life -saving cervical impressions as soon as they turn 25.
“I am grateful that I had done the cervical screening,” she said. ‘If I hadn’t done it, I would probably just keep postponing.
All women and people with a cervix in the United Kingdom between 25 and 64 are also invited to regular cervical screening, which serve as the primary way to diagnose
‘They are quite persistent in sending letters and texts and so to say that you have to do a smear.
‘You can sit and think about it and you can read the experiences of other women online, but it is so easy to do. It is literally 10 to 15 minutes of your time and it can save your life. ‘
About two women in Britain die every day of cervical cancer, which was famous on TV personality Jade Goody at the age of only 27.
The disease is often called a ‘silent murderer’ because its symptoms can be easily seen for less serious problems, such as tough periods and exhaustion.
But if the signs are recognized early, the chance of surviving at least five years is around 95 percent.
This falls to 15 percent if the cancer is detected in later stages when it has spread to other parts of the body.
In about 99 percent of the cases, cervical cancer is caused by an infection of a risky type of human papillomavirus (HPV), which is transferred through sexual activity.
There are more than 100 types of HPV and only about 30 can influence the genital area.
Symptoms of cervical cancer to pay attention are unusual vaginal bleeding, pain during sex and lower back or pelvic pain.
Many people never show symptoms because they can occur years after infection, and most cases disappear without treatment.
In some cases, however, it can cause the genital tissues to grow abnormally, which results in cervical cancer for many years.
There is a vaccine for HPV.
It is more than 80 percent effective and available in a large part of the developed world.
It is a vaccine with two doses, now available for children between 11 and 12 years old. The shots come apart for 12 months.
For people who have missed that window, a shot with three doses is available for young people aged 15 to 26.
The vaccine has been offered to girls in England and Wales since September 2008 before it is broadened to boys since 2019.
All women in the UK between 25 and 64 are also invited to regular cervical screening, which serve as the primary method of diagnosis.
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