{"id":2614,"date":"2026-02-22T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-22T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/naturallywoodcreations.com\/?p=2614"},"modified":"2026-02-25T15:32:41","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T15:32:41","slug":"i-got-cancer-at-23-my-doctor-was-wrong-to-reassure-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/naturallywoodcreations.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/22\/i-got-cancer-at-23-my-doctor-was-wrong-to-reassure-me\/","title":{"rendered":"I got cancer at 23 \u2013 my doctor was wrong to reassure me"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n\t\t\"I\t<\/div>
In spite of all of the shock, and the fear, I was feeling, I was also somewhat relieved to know what was wrong with me (Picture: Sarah )<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018Unfortunately, you\u2019ve got endometrial cancer<\/a>\u2019.<\/p>\n

Sitting in my doctor’s office in October 2025, next to my friend Carly*, I was consumed by shock.<\/p>\n

My doctor told me it was rare for people under 50 to get endometrial cancer<\/a>. I was 23. <\/p>\n

In fact, she told me that I was one of the youngest cases that she\u2019s ever had to diagnose with cancer.<\/p>\n

When I got out in the hallway, I started screaming \u2013 I had to let it out somehow. <\/p>\n

Eventually I calmed down. Carly and I were silent on the way home. <\/p>\n

In spite of all of the shock, and the fear, I was feeling, I was also somewhat relieved to know what was wrong with me, after two months of symptoms that I couldn\u2019t explain.<\/p>\n

Now, at least, I knew. <\/p>\n

It had all begun in August of that year, with bloating and heavy bleeding.<\/p>\n

That month, my period lasted longer than usual. It had been 10 days, but I put it down to my polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS),<\/a> which I was diagnosed with a few years earlier. <\/p>\n

But a few days later, I started getting blood clots the size of golf balls. And after two weeks, my period was still there.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"I\t<\/div>
Things started to move fast from then on (Picture: Sarah )<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After a trip to the emergency department that same month, I was told by the doctor on call that I needed to see a specialist, because it was clear something was horribly wrong. <\/p>\n

Scans showed that I had a very thick uterine lining, so I underwent a hysteroscopy \u2013 where a camera was used to examine the inside of my uterus \u2013 and other tests. <\/p>\n

Given my medical history and age, my gynaecologist was confident that I had a very low chance of having cancer \u2013 and I believed her.<\/p>\n

But just 10 days later I got a call telling me to book an appointment right away, and to bring a friend for support. <\/p>\n

I did \u2013 and that was the day my doctor told me I had cancer.<\/p>\n

Things started to move fast from then on.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t have chemotherapy, but I was put on the hormonal IUD when I had the initial hysteroscopy. <\/p>\n

My gynaecologist had explained at the time that it would reduce my symptoms, even before we knew it was cancer. <\/p>\n

Suddenly, I was having to make decisions about my future, and my fertility, that it felt like no one else my age was thinking about.<\/p>\n

I felt so unsure about everything, and had so many questions.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"I\t<\/div>
After I was diagnosed, I was so isolated, making big decisions that it felt like no one else my age had to (Picture: Sarah )<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My partner Tim* and I had to have serious conversations about each other\u2019s values, and views on children and parenthood. <\/p>\n

My oncologist had recommended that I freeze my eggs and go through IVF to preserve my fertility,<\/a> just in case I did decide to have children, but I decided against it at the time. <\/p>\n

Egg freezing felt like just another treatment to go through,<\/a> more injections, more hormones. I didn\u2019t want to go through the psychological barrier of administering needles everyday. <\/p>\n

While Tim was supportive of my choice not to freeze my eggs, he saw himself becoming a father one day.<\/p>\n

But at that point, I had one goal, and one goal only \u2013 to fight cancer. All I could think was, \u2018get me out of this alive\u2019.<\/p>\n

After I was diagnosed, I was so isolated, making big decisions that it felt like no one else my age had to, growing up faster than everyone else.<\/p>\n

\n
Comment now<\/title><span class=\"metro-comment-cta__text\">Have you ever faced a life-changing decision at a young age? Share your experience below<\/span><\/span><a class=\"metro-comment-cta__button\" href=\"#metro-comments-container\">Comment Now<\/a><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>But my friends, family and Tim helped me to push through the days I felt like giving up. Tim never judged me for feeling a certain way and allowed me to freely talk about my <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/anxiety\/\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\">anxiety<\/a> and dark thoughts. Even in moments of silence, just having him there next to me was incredibly powerful.<\/p>\n<p>But I wanted to do more to feel less alone. To combat the feeling of isolation. So I started sharing my story on TikTok, and it helped give me a voice, and connect with people online who have had similar experiences. <\/p>\n<p>I felt empowered. The more I shared, the more it felt like I was able to help other women, and raise awareness. <\/p>\n<p>In January this year, my doctor called me to tell me the latest test showed that there was no evidence of cancer in my uterus. <\/p>\n<p>To my surprise, I had mixed feelings about the good news. I was grateful I had made it out the other side but I was also struggling with an identity shift. <\/p>\n<p>I had established a new normal as someone living with cancer, so when this changed overnight, it felt like I had to start again. I also felt guilty that I\u2019d only had to fight cancer for a few months. I didn\u2019t understand why I\u2019d gotten so lucky. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"img-container shareable-item wp-caption\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"384\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"article-image wp-image-26989590 lazyload\" alt=\"I thought I was too young to get endometrial cancer ? it put my life on fast forward\" loading=\"lazy\" data-src=\"http:\/\/naturallywoodcreations.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/SEI_285788307-0275-e1771488192699.jpg\">\t<\/div><figcaption>I faced mortality, and it changed me (Picture: Sarah )<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>But the main thing is that I\u2019m now cancer-free, and I can focus on my recovery.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ll continue to have hysteroscopies every six to 12 months for the next several years to check on my <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/health-news\/\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\">health<\/a>, and will remain on the IUD. <\/p>\n<p>As for children, I\u2019m glad I wasn\u2019t rushed into freezing my eggs. I wasn\u2019t ready. I\u2019ve been told that if I decide to have children, I can take my IUD out, then once I\u2019m done with having children, I will need a total hysterectomy. <\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s a chance I will be put into surgical <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/menopause\/\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\">menopause<\/a>, too, but that is something I would have to think about in the future.<\/p>\n<p>I feel different, having survived cancer. I faced mortality, and it changed me. I\u2019m starting to really understand what living in the moment means.<\/p>\n<p>If I could give people any advice, it would be to listen to your body, and don\u2019t wait until your symptoms become unbearable before you see a doctor. Much of the time \u2013 too often, in fact \u2013 we\u2019re told to hold our pain, but it\u2019s important that we pay attention to what is happening to us.<\/p>\n<p>And just because you\u2019re young doesn\u2019t mean you won\u2019t get cancer. <\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m young, very healthy, and I still got diagnosed.<\/p>\n<p>Get yourself checked. <\/p>\n<p><em>*Names have been changed.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>As told to Ella Kipling <\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Do you have a story you\u2019d like to share? Get in touch by emailing <a href=\"mailto:jess.austin@metro.co.uk\">jessica.aureli@metro.co.uk<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><strong>Share your views in the comments below.<\/strong><\/p>\n<section id=\"share-buttons-bottom\" class=\"share-buttons share-buttons-bottom\"><a class=\"metro-button share-bar-comments\" data-vars-position=\"bottom\" href=\"#metro-comments-container\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t<span><title>Comment now<\/title><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"share-bar-comments__label\">Comments<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t<\/a><a class=\"metro-button share-bar-preferred-source\" data-vars-position=\"bottom\" href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/metro.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span><title>Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google<\/title><\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"share-bar-preferred-source__label\">Add as preferred source<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/a><\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In spite of all of the shock, and the fear, I was feeling, I was also somewhat relieved to know what was wrong with me (Picture: Sarah ) \u2018Unfortunately, you\u2019ve got endometrial cancer\u2019. Sitting in my doctor’s office in October 2025, next to my friend Carly*, I was consumed by shock. My doctor told me it was rare for people […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2616,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[15],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/naturallywoodcreations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2614"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/naturallywoodcreations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/naturallywoodcreations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/naturallywoodcreations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/naturallywoodcreations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2614"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/naturallywoodcreations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2614\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2621,"href":"http:\/\/naturallywoodcreations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2614\/revisions\/2621"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/naturallywoodcreations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2616"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/naturallywoodcreations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2614"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/naturallywoodcreations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2614"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/naturallywoodcreations.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2614"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}