‘I want people to be aware it can happen to anyone at any age’
“PEOPLE keep saying it’s not fair or I’m too young – something cancer doesn’t do is discriminate.”
That’s how Rachel Nurse feels after discovering last week she had ovarian cancer at the young age of 22. Rachel started feeling unwell two months ago, she then found out she had an ovarian cyst.
“The hospital and doctor didn’t think it was cancer, they thought it was a cyst,” the 22-year-old from Llandaff North in Cardiff said. However, she was later diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
“I want people to be aware that it can happen to anyone at any age,” she said. “When the doctor told me, I was with my dad. I knew I was unwell and I knew that I had been feeling pain for some time, but I didn’t expect it to be that.
“I don’t know anything about ovarian cancer, most people know about breast cancer with women but ovarian isn’t spoken about as widely, so I didn’t know what this means for me.”
Some of the most common symptoms of ovarian cancer are feeling constantly bloated, a swollen tummy and discomfort in your tummy or pelvic area.
“It’s called a silent killer cancer, women have the symptoms most of the time, especially when they are on their period, such as bloating and pain, where you don’t think you have cancer.
“I’ve got the attitude that you just have to get on with things, I’ve got this get up and go attitude, I’ve got to do all I can before chemotherapy because I am going to be very unwell. Luckily I’m at the stage where it’s very curable.
“I think around 80% of cases get found in stage three and four when it’s spread to the body.”
Rachel believes that one of the reasons why she found her diagnosis early on is because she listens to her body and knows when she is feeling unwell.
“I want to make people aware that you need to look after your body,” she says. “You need to focus on what your bodies are telling you and look after yourself. Looking back now, I’ve probably been having symptoms since last September.
“I was feeling fragile, faint and lightheaded quite often. I am very healthy and I don’t smoke. Even if you haven’t got typical causes, you can still get it regardless of how healthy you are.
“Luckily for me everything is going to plan.”
Rachel says she will now need 24-hour care. She added: “I can’t do simple things, I need someone to come to the bathroom with me because I might slip, it’s just everything.
“I’ve found I’m the strongest person out of everyone, it’s got to be difficult for my partner and parents to see that I’m 22 and going through this.
“The doctor said I will definitely lose my hair and be tired and fragile but I know in myself that I will be OK regardless. One of my friends found a lump on her breast and she said that she was going to go to the doctor because even though she is young there could be something wrong, which is why I am speaking about it.”
Rachel’s family and friends have been a great support since finding out the news.
When she discovered she had cancer, she had only just finished her master’s degree, she was running her own tutoring business and was preparing for her
PhD at the University of Glasgow.
“I am still working and preparing for my PhD but to a less intense level. I had to drop doing a PGCE this academic year and also left a full-time position as a media manager,” she says.
“However, sometimes life does not go to plan, that is OK. We do not always need to be working, hustling or being productive to continue growing. Before, during and after my treatments, I will be exercising self-love each day.
“I will be doing activities I love: reading, writing, writing in my gratitude journal, drawing, wearing hippie clothes, meditating and yoga.
“What cancer has taught me is tomorrow is an excuse. Anything worth doing is worth doing today.”
If you are going through anything similar to Rachel and want someone to talk to, you can contact her at rachellouise nurse@gmail.com