‘YOU NEVER THINK IT’S GOING TO BE YOU’
Hannah found out she had cervical cancer while she was planning her wedding
AWOMAN who planned her wedding while fighting cervical cancer has opened up about her experience to encourage others to get tested.
At 29 years-old, Deloitte assistant manager Hannah Good had just picked the perfect venue for her wedding when she was told she had cancer.
The news, given to her while she sat alone in a hospital consulting room, came despite no symptoms or concern from doctors six months after a smear test showing she had abnormal cells.
Only months after her engagement to her fiancé Mark on Christmas Eve 2015, Hannah was originally told the screening result was low-grade, and that instant treatment after a second test would remove the problem.
But after undergoing a four-hour operation to remove her cervix, the newlywed, from Dinas Powys in the Vale of Glamorgan, has warned that if not for her smear test the result could have been a lot more serious.
Speaking one year after her wedding and two years after her diagnosis, Hannah said: “I thought the second test would come back and it would be normal, so I went with my mother-in-law as my husband couldn’t come.
“I went in there thinking they would just remove the cells there and then.
“All of a sudden they took me into a room and said they were really sorry but they’d found cancer.
“I was on my own when I got the news and I was dumbfounded. You don’t know how to respond.
“You never think it’s going to be you.”
Within six weeks Hannah underwent an operation to remove her cervix and pelvic lymph nodes, after a cone biopsy proved inadequate due to the size of the tumour.
While avoiding the need for radiotherapy, the process has meant her chances to conceive and carry a child have been reduced.
She said: “I would say I’m lucky they caught it early but I’m not lucky I just got tested.
“I’ve always done it. My mum was a big advocate for going and my grandmother was part of the fight to introduce it.”
For Hannah one of the most emotional parts of the process was telling others the news.
She said: “When you decide to tell people then you also have to deal with their reaction. It’s like a second wave of it.
“I got comfortable with everything first and then you see their shock, I had people crying on me.
“Once people hear cancer they assume the worst – it’s that word and people use their own experiences to deal with the situation.”
She added: “The internet can also be a dangerous place. Sometimes forums can help as they are there for you, but that wasn’t the case for me. It’s nice knowing someone is going through the same but you don’t want to compare your own journey to theirs as each body is different.”
With only six weeks’ recovery period after her operation, Hannah also had the challenge of planning a wedding alongside her treatment and a full-time job.
Holding the big day at Rosedew Farm in Llantwit Major in the Vale of Glamorgan, one year after her diagnosis, she was still undergoing almost monthly tests, awaiting the all-clear.
She said: “One week before I was diagnosed I booked the venue for my wedding.
“When I got married it was quite emotional as that was still hovering over me. We didn’t want to delay it as we didn’t know what was happening.
“Everyone was saying I would cry when I walked down the aisle but I was excited. It was when Mark did his speech it hit me.”
While the treatment may be over Hannah must now have check-ups with a consultant every six months for the next five years.
She said: “It wasn’t under my control and that’s how I dealt with it. You can’t worry about something you can’t control and me taking the test was the only control I had. “Otherwise you scare yourself. “The other week I was told I couldn’t give blood and it’s little things like that that prove it did happen and it wasn’t a nightmare. Dayto-day I don’t think about it, it didn’t change me.”
Two years after her diagnosis Hannah’s next challenge is to encourage others to get tested, after posting about her own experience on Facebook in time for Cervical Cancer Prevention Week.
She said: “I hadn’t spoken about it much. I did one post a year ago and as it was prevention week I thought I would say something.
“The whole week was a whirlwind, my post was shared 1,000 times and by people I didn’t know.
“I had lovely messages from peo- ple telling me their stories and saying I had reminded them to go and get checked.
“It’s that human aspect – a lot of people know friends of friends or see it in the media but can’t form a relationship with that. It’s not often people want to go to the pub and talk about cervixes.”
Currently the number of women getting screened in Wales is at an 11-year low.
Robert Music, chief executive of Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, said: “We’re sorry to hear about Hannah’s diagnosis but are glad to hear that her cancer was caught early thanks to her attending her cervical screening.
“Cervical screening provides the best protection against cervical cancer but, despite this, one in four women in Wales don’t take up their screening invitation, with uptake now at an 11-year low.
“It is important to remember that over 90% of tests come back as normal and we would urge all women to attend their test when invited.
“We are grateful that Hannah is helping spread the message that screening can saves lives. If women are concerned or have any questions, Jo’s has lots of information and support available; and they can also speak to their nurse or GP.”