Lucy Trahair was young, healthy and living her best life when her world unexpectedly took an agonising turn in September.
The young mum, from South Australia, began experiencing spurts of mild stomach pain, bloating, fatigue and subtle changes in her bowel habits earlier this year.
She described her symptoms as ‘vague’. She se didn’t think much of them as they were few and far between.
But Lucy eventually saw a GP after she realised something wasn’t quite right with her body when her abdominal cramping became unbearable.
Then, at just 25, she received a devastating ovarian cancer diagnosis.
‘I was surprisingly calm and level headed when the doctor first told me. It was probably a coping mechanism or a state of shock, but I tried to just take everything as it came and not let fear take over,’ Lucy tells FEMAIL.
‘Of course afterwards, I had overwhelming feelings of “this is so unfair” and worried about what my future might look like from here.’
She never imagined anything was wrong as she had done everything right to stay on top of her health, including getting her first pap smear as soon as she turned 25.
Lucy Trahair was young, seemingly healthy and living her best life when her world unexpectedly took an agonising turn
‘I’m only 25 so I got my first one was this year but it came back clear,’ Lucy says.
‘Unfortunately pap smears pick up cervical abnormalities, not ovarian – a common misconception, even from me.’
A pap test does not detect ovarian cancer; it is only used to screen for cervical cancer.
Before her shock diagnosis, Lucy was living a seemingly normal life.
‘I had a relatively healthy diet and was actively going to the gym,’ she says.
‘I had literally just quit my job to be a stay-at-home mum with my two-year-old daughter and ironically, “live my best life”.’
Little did she know, the cancer was ‘unknowingly growing’ inside her body.
Over the course of three weeks, she felt tired and bloated and started experiencing stomach pain, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
‘I was on a staycay in South Australia and noticed something wasn’t quite right,’ she recalls.
‘At the time, the only thing that really urged me to go to my GP was abdominal cramping.’
The mum (pictured with her two-year-old daughter) was diagnosed with ovarian cancer
At first, she assumed her symptoms were linked to endometriosis as they were similar to those of the condition, which affects one in nine women in Australia.
‘A few of my friends have endometriosis, and what I was describing sounded similar to their stories,’ she says.
‘I think when it comes to women’s health, reproductive health in particular, things easily get brushed off as symptoms of our menstrual cycle.’
Lucy was sent away for CT scans, ultrasounds, biopsies and blood tests.
‘Nothing was very clear out of those tests,’ she explains.
A couple of days later, she received a phone call from her doctor saying there was an abnormal-looking cyst so she was booked in for surgery to have it removed.
‘Doctors knew that something was abnormal. But they still didn’t know if the tumours were cancerous or not,’ she says.
After the procedure, Lucy was told she had stage three low-grade ovarian cancer at 25.
Ovarian cancer can happen at any age, but in Australia it’s usually in women who have been through menopause, with the average age of diagnosis being 64.
According to Rare Cancers Australia, low-grade serous carcinomas are rare, with tumour cells appearing slightly or moderately abnormal. This indicates a low-grade tumour, which are cancers that are slow-growing, and generally less aggressive.
Early warning signs
Her diagnosis came after she missed the early warning signs of cancer.
‘Looking back I did have some symptoms that I looked past just because they were so vague like fatigue, bowel changes, painful periods and bloating,’ she said.
Lucy had a full hysterectomy and had her appendix taken out due to the cancer spreading
The 25-year-old in hospital, alongside her partner, after she was given a shock diagnosis
During surgery Lucy underwent a full hysterectomy, leaving her unable to conceive in the future.
‘I won’t be able to have anymore children,’ she explains.
She also had her appendix and omentum (a thin tissue that lines the abdomen) taken out during the same procedure due to the cancer spreading.
‘I am about to start chemotherapy to try and target the last bits they couldn’t remove during surgery,’ she says.
‘However, low-grade serous carcinoma is known to not be overly reactive with chemo.’
One of her biggest challenges was recovering from surgery, especially while caring for her toddler daughter.
‘Mum guilt takes the cake for struggle, especially when I haven’t been able to lift her up, drive, or be 100 per cent present for her,’ she says.
‘I am so lucky we have a village of support.’
As her condition is currently unknown, Lucy believes the best thing she can do right now is to stay positive
‘This is just the beginning’
As her condition is currently unknown, Lucy believes the best thing she can do right now is to stay positive.
‘This is just the beginning of my journey unfortunately,’ she says.
‘But I am in a good space mentally, and just taking everything as it comes.’
She hopes her story can encourage everyone to go get checked, no matter how minor the symptoms are.
‘Any abnormal changes to your body or health are so important to get checked,’ she says.
‘Common warning signs for ovarian cancer are bowel changes, frequent urination, bloating, pelvic/back cramps or even getting full quickly.’
By speaking out, she hopes to remind women to always listen to their bodies
By speaking out, Lucy – who is currently fundraising for ovarian cancer research – hopes to remind women to always listen to their bodies.
‘I think too often, we put up with pain because it has been so normalised to us. For example bad period pains,’ she says.
‘It’s important to remember that cancer has no boundaries. It can get the youngest and/or healthiest of people.’
According to Cancer Council, the only way to confirm the diagnosis of ovarian cancer is to remove a sample of tissue from the tumour, or to drain fluid from the abdomen or chest if fluid is present.
‘At the moment, the only way to get diagnosed properly is through surgery,’ she says.
‘I’d like people to understand that ovarian cancer has no early detection test and we really need to raise awareness around this cancer to get the funding that is needed for better prevention.’
You are not alone
For those going through cancer, Lucy says: ‘You are not alone.’
‘Take every day as it comes because it can be overwhelming,’ she explains.
‘Ask your health professional as many questions as you like – no question is silly. And most importantly, reach out to your loved ones for support.’
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