A young mum contracted cervical cancer after giving birth to twins. She received her diagnosis in 2019, unaware that her pregnancy could be linked to a serious condition. Fortunately, her cancer diagnosis was discovered during its early stages. Now, Ms Tan Lee Lian shares her story.
In this article, you’ll read:
- A Mum Contracted Cervical Cancer After Her First Pregnancy?
- How a Mum of Twins Learned About Her Cervical Cancer
- How the HPV Vaccine Works in Preventing Cervical Cancer
A Mum Contracted Cervical Cancer After Her First Pregnancy?
Can you imagine how painful it is for a young mum to discover that she was diagnosed with a life-threatening disease? Being a good mum to your children is not easy.
Motherhood entails hard and continuous work. As mums, you can barely count the times you unintentionally neglected yourself. This is because you prioritise your responsibility as a mother.
Keep in mind that it will be best for all mums to know how to get rest, eat healthy foods, exercise, and maintain relationships. Doing all these things will allow you to be an equipped mother. It is essential for mums to always be in their best condition.
Meanwhile, a 36-year-old young mum in Singapore was completely unprepared for the diagnosis she received after delivering her twins. Her doctor revealed that she contracted cervical cancer.
How a Mum of Twins Learned About Her Cervical Cancer
Ms Tan Lee Lian is a 39-year-old woman who is also a proud mum of twins. In 2019, she was 36-year-old when she learned of her cervical cancer diagnosis.
Having that kind of life-threatening disease never crossed her mind. According to her, she felt that her body was in its best condition. She felt that during that time, her body was the fittest and healthiest it had been since she gave birth.
She could never imagine that she might have contracted the human papillomavirus (HPV). The human papillomavirus hails as the most common cause of cervical cancer.
“I never would have expected myself to contract cancer,” said Ms Tan Lee Lian. “I thought I’m still young, at the prime of my life.”
She Became Busy Looking After Her Kids
Image Source: iStock
Like any other mum, Ms Tan became very busy looking after her twins after giving birth. She barely took care of her health because she prioritised her babies.
The 39-year-old mum of twins eventually realised things that she unintentionally neglected. She remembered that she stopped scheduling regular check-ups. This included doing pap smears with her doctor. Those are the things she failed to do about four to five years before receiving the news.
“It never crossed my mind – my attention was on looking after my kids,” she explained.
She also added that she did not have any symptoms before her diagnosis. There is a huge possibility that she will not be able to know about her condition for a longer period if she does not go on with a full-body health screening.
The pap smear from the screening came back with abnormal results. After that, she was then advised to see a gynaecologist, the same gynaecologist who conducted several tests on her.
Through the tests she underwent, they could detect not just HPV but also cervical cancer. Despite the serious news, Ms Tan Lee Lian considered herself lucky. Her doctor reassured her because they discovered her cervical cancer at an early stage called Stage 1B1.
After the Mum Contracted Cervical Cancer, She Could No Longer Bear a Child
Ms Tan’s condition required her to undergo a radical hysterectomy. This procedure involves the removal of the uterus and other parts of the reproductive system. As a result of this, Ms Tan can no longer bear any children.
After the surgery, Ms Tan had to remain in the hospital for four nights. Aside from that, she also had to use a catheter bag for about a week following her discharge.
“It was very hard… after the surgery; I couldn’t get out of bed; I felt very immobile,” she said.
She also added it has come to a point when she does not want her kids to visit her.
“I didn’t want them to see me in a very weak stage,” she said.
Fortunately, Ms Tan fully recovered after the procedure and treatments. She knows that she was fortunate that the cancer was detected early. It allowed her to avoid chemotherapy and radiation treatment.
How the HPV Vaccine Works in Preventing Cervical Cancer
Image Source: iStock
According to Ms Tan Lee Lian, she had minimal knowledge of HPV and cervical cancer prior to her diagnosis. Before, she does not know the purpose of a pap smear yet.
“When I was in school in the 80s, the schools did not provide information about this… my girlfriends and I of the same age did not know what HPV was or its link to cervical cancer, or about the vaccine,” she said.
In the effort of the government to prevent cervical cancer, they started to offer the HPV vaccine to female Secondary One students.
Meanwhile, Ms Tan was glad that there is now more awareness and education about it. She then added that she’s considering getting her sons vaccinated when they turn nine.
“After this lesson I’ve gone through, I think it’s good to be vaccinated and to prevent these things from happening,” she said. “We have only this one body, and we should be responsible and look after it,” she added. “By the time you find out, it may be too late – so prevention is the best insurance.”
ALSO READ:
Embryo vs Fetus vs Baby: What’s the Difference and at Which Stage Is Your Pregnancy In?