THIS WOMAN’S life was turned upside down when she found out her ovarian “cysts” were misdiagnosed by the NHS and were in fact stage three cancer.
Keesha Walden, 27, from Norfolk visited her GP in March 2023 with shooting pains in her left side and dull aches in her lower abdomen.
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As she was also grappling with irregular periods and acne, the then 26-year-old sales consultant was concerned she might have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
But doctors simply told her to exercise and watch what she ate, Keesha claimed.
She felt her pain and discomfort had been downplayed as just “part of being a woman”.
But by September that year, Keesha’s symptoms had worsened.
Read more on ovarian cancer
She received an urgent cancer referral to a gynaecology clinic. Scans revealed she had a “chocolate cyst” – a cyst filled with menstrual blood – on her ovary, which doctors insisted was benign.
But a routine biopsy performed during surgery to remove the cyst a month later showed she had a cancerous tumour measuring 26cm – roughly the size of a rugby ball.
Keesha claimed she was only told she had stage one ovarian cancer in February this year.
A subsequent CT scan showed her cancer had spread, with new masses in her pelvis and suspicious nodules on her lung.
Keesha was diagnosed with Mucinous Adenocarcinoma, which is so rare it makes up just 2-3 per cent of ovarian cancer cases.
The 27-year-old has since had her ovaries, womb, appendix, cervix and 26 lymph nodes removed.
Keesha said: “Due to the delayed diagnosis, I was informed that a radical hysterectomy was my only option for survival, and that they suspected the cancer was in fact stage three, potentially stage four.
“I was told all my checks were fine and everything was healthy, despite the GP never seeing me face-to-face, and told to watch what I eat and exercise as my BMI was perfect, but the waist circumference was very large.”
Keesha claims she was “gaslit” by doctors while trying to get answers about her symptoms, saying: “They repeatedly dismissed my symptoms, despite telling them how severe my pain and discomfort were.
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“This made me doubt my own experience and delayed the proper diagnosis and treatment I needed.
“I was told I was “too young” to have a serious condition, especially when it came to something like ovarian cancer.
“My concerns were brushed off, and I was reassured that my symptoms were probably nothing to worry about because of my age.
“This assumption led to a significant delay.”
Keesha added: “There were times when doctors implied that my symptoms were due to poor lifestyle choices, without considering other possibilities.
“They would suggest I just needed to eat better, exercise more, or relax, which made me feel responsible for my own suffering and prevented them from looking deeper into the real cause.”
Uncertain future
After having extensive surgery in March, Keesha is currently under undergoing chemotherapy and hopes her last cycle will be on September 6.
“After that, I’ll face a five-year period of monitoring to see if the nodules in my lung change and to ensure there are no other signs of recurrent disease.
“The uncertainty of my situation makes it difficult to imagine what my future will look like.
“At 27, most people are focused on building their lives, buying a house, settling down, and starting a family.
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“Unfortunately, that has all been stripped away from me. My new reality is about finding peace with the unknown.
Keesha added: “This experience has changed me irrevocably.
“While I hope to find peace, the uncertainty of whether I even have five years left to live adds to the emotional turmoil.”
Keesha described how her family and friends responded to her diagnosis: “Everyone was in disbelief that this could happen to me at such a young age
“There was anger that it hadn’t been detected sooner, especially after I had struggled with my health for so long and had been wrongly reassured throughout.
“It was a crazy and overwhelming time for me and my family.
“The delay in the results meant that everything suddenly became urgent and there was no time to pause and process what was happening.
“It felt surreal and terrifying for all of us.”
Mourning and acceptance
Facing an early menopause and the lasting effects of surgery and chemotherapy, Keesha still hopes to get back into swimming and exercise once her body feels strong enough.
But she’s still grappling with the emotional toll of her experience
“Cancer and chemotherapy have profoundly impacted my confidence and self-esteem as a woman”, said Keesha.
“The physical changes that come with treatment, hair loss, weight fluctuations, and the visible toll on my body and the large scars have been challenging to accept.
What are the signs of ovarian cancer?
Ovarian cancers affects the ovaries – the organs that store the eggs needed to make babies.
It mostly affects women over the age of 50 and can sometimes run in families, according to the NHS.
Symptoms of the cancer can be vague, particularly in its early stages, Cancer Research UK SAYS.
The charity advises you speak to a GP if you have the following symptoms:
- Feeling full quickly
- Loss of appetite
- Pain in your abdomen or lower part of your abdomen that doesn’t go away
- Bloating or an increase in the size of your abdomen
- Needing to wee more often
- Tiredness that is unexplained
- Weight loss that is unexplained
- Changes in your bowel habit or symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, especially if this starts after the age of 50
The NHS added that bleeding from the vagina after the menopause could be another possible symptom of ovarian cancer.
“These changes have often left me feeling disconnected from the person I once was, struggling to recognise myself in the mirror.”
Keesha added: “There are days when the weight of it all feels unbearable, but amidst the darkness, I have found moments of resilience
“I am slowly learning to accept this new reality, to mourn what I have lost, and to find ways to move forward.
“While the scars from this experience, both physical and emotional, will always remain, and the future is still uncertain, I am determined to live a meaningful life despite all this for as long as I possibly can.
“I hope to use my situation to help prevent this from happening to others and to raise awareness about the importance of early detection and diagnosis, especially in younger women.”
Keesha urged others to be persistent in getting a diagnosis.
“To everyone facing the challenges of cancer and chemotherapy, I know this journey can feel overwhelming, but please remember that you are stronger than you think,” she said.
“Every day you fight is a testament to your resilience and courage.
“Your worth is not defined by the changes in your body or the struggles you face, but by the incredible strength you show in navigating them.
“Always listen to your body, if you think something isn’t right then make sure to push and follow it up! I regret not being more persistent in getting a diagnosis.”
You can find out more about Keesha’s experience on her GoFundMe page.
The NHS said short staffing and high workload had contributed to Keesha’s late diagnosis.
“There is widespread misunderstanding of current results reporting processes and the role of the cancer centre.
“There is no effective failsafe in gynaecology for highlighting abnormal results. This is a trust wide issue.”
