Archives: Stories

Kayleigh Lenney’s 57-year-old mum, Donna Hayward, had a uterine Leiomyosarcoma misdiagnosed in August 2022. Initially, her symptoms were dismissed as being related to a fibroid. She presented with a large and rapidly growing abdominal mass, weight loss, pain, vaginal bleeding, anaemia and fever. Her symptoms were not consistent with the diagnosis of a fibroid. The … Continued

Jessica Mason, from the Vale of Glamorgan, was given a range of misdiagnoses including infections, prolapse, and suspected endometriosis, only for a 6.5cm tumour to eventually be found growing in her cervix and womb. Although Jessica feels like “one of the lucky ones” due to currently being cancer free, she endured radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and brachytherapy … Continued

Clare Hollinshead felt her concerns were dismissed and downplayed due to her gender and age when she presented with symptoms in her thirties. After experiencing heavy and frequent bleeding in 2016, Clare was informed by her GP that a scan revealed a small growth on her womb and was advised she should be seen by … Continued

Judith Rowlands, from Anglesey, contacted her GP when she started bleeding after the menopause. She was prescribed HRT but when the bleeding continued, she knew something was wrong, as her mother had also been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Judith was eventually diagnosed with endometrial cancer and underwent a hysterectomy. However, after the hysterectomy Judith experienced … Continued

Linda Drew, from the Vale of Glamorgan, didn’t know about ovarian cancer until she was diagnosed and believes lack of awareness is a problem preventing people for receiving timely treatment. “I saw this list and I’d literally ticked every one: the bloated stomach, stomach pain, needing to wee more often, extreme fatigue. If I’d seen … Continued

Update: Sadly, Claire passed away on 12 May 2025 aged 42. In July 2021 I began suffering with symptoms of Uterine Leiomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer that has a poor prognosis and a high recurrence rate. It makes up less than 2% of all cancers; around 5300 people a year are diagnosed in the … Continued