A mum-of-two is urging people to listen to their own body after key warnings that she had cervical cancer were missed.
Crystal Manuel fought for a year to get a diagnosis after first developing worrying symptoms.
The finance manager lost her own mother to uterus cancer just three months after she was diagnosed with the disease.
Her cancer had also been missed leaving her to urge her own family to always get any health problems checked out.
Crystal, who lives in Chandler’s Ford, Hampshire, was just 26 when her mother, Dolores, was diagnosed with uterus cancer.
She passed away at the age of 49.
Crystal then began to experience abnormal vaginal bleeding and she knew she had to act quickly.
The 39-year-old explained that she was experiencing heavier and more painful periods, lower back pain, “shooting pain down (her) legs”, and bleeding after sex.
However, despite several GP visits, “they didn’t pick up anything” and her symptoms continued, she says.
After pushing for a diagnosis, approximately one year later Crystal was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma cervical cancer which she said was "very scary".
She told CambridgeshireLive: “[My mum] was 49 and she experienced the bleeding and doctors just thought she had fibroids, so she was going in for a hysterectomy and when she went in for her assessment before the operation, that’s when they picked up that it wasn’t just fibroids – it was cancer.
“Unfortunately, it was late; she was diagnosed in November and she had passed away in February the next year, so three months later. It was just caught too late.”
Referring to her diagnosis, she said: “It was very scary because, with her, it was just three months and she was gone, and she always said to us, ‘If you feel any ache and pain’ – because she probably also ignored it for quite a while – ‘just go and get checked’.”
Cervical cancer is a cancer that is found anywhere in the cervix – the opening between the vagina and the womb – and, according to the charity Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, it currently kills two women in the UK every day.
Symptoms include unusual vaginal bleeding, changes to vaginal discharge, pain during sex, or pain in your lower back.
A cervical screening, known as a smear test, checks the health of the cervix and is a test to help prevent cancer.
Although Crystal’s results came back as negative, the bleeding persisted and she knew “something wasn’t right”.
Crystal said it was extremely difficult to book a GP appointment due to the coronavirus pandemic, but after pushing to be seen, she secured an appointment and was referred to Southampton General Hospital, where she had a cervical biopsy.
Weeks later, she received the devastating news that she had cancer, and she then underwent an MRI and a CT scan.
Crystal said: "You’re more concerned as a mother; you’re anxious and (you) get stressed because you don’t know how bad it is and you’re expecting the worst.”
However, despite Crystal’s fears, she knew she had to be strong for her husband, Clive, 39, and her two children, Camron, 15, and Chaia, 12.
She feels her positive mindset was fundamental in helping her get through her treatment, which included a radical hysterectomy – a surgical procedure to remove the womb – five rounds of chemotherapy, five weeks of daily radiotherapy, followed by two weeks of brachytherapy.
Nonetheless, she said she did “feel down some days”. She even remembers crying in front of one of the nurses, saying: “I can’t do this anymore.”
She added: “When I look back now, I actually feel sorry for myself; I think, oh my goodness, I actually went through so much.
“But at the time, I think, because you’ve just got to go through it, it’s just like you’re in survival mode.
"You’re in pain and a lot is going on – my blood pressure dropped and I was faint and I was sick – but when I look back, it’s like it never happened.
“At the time, you know you’ve just got to put up with it, you’ve got no other option.”
Three months after Crystal’s treatment had finished, she received the “all clear” and she now has check-ups every few months.
Her message to others is: "Just listen to your body because, luckily for me, that’s how I detected it. I knew something wasn’t right… (but) I had to push to be seen.
“Advocate for yourself, (and) if you have any symptoms, or anything you feel is not right, with anything in your body, go and get checked. (My mum’s cancer) was caught too late, and she said, ‘Any ache or pain, just go and get checked’, and I agree.”
Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust is launching its biggest ever campaign: #WeCan End Cervical Cancer, to work towards a day where cervical cancer is a thing of the past.
You can find out more by visiting Jo's Trust.
