A fit and healthy Sydney mum who was given a shock cervical cancer diagnosis on February 18 is urging women to stay on top of their checkups to avoid a similar fate.
Brooke Gold, 34, has always been diligent with pap smears but admitted to delaying seeing her doctor over the past five years due to her busy lifestyle and being ‘scared’ of the result after her grandmother died from ovarian cancer.
Prior to the diagnosis the HR manager told FEMAIL she experienced spotting between periods, which were identified by physicians as ‘side effects’ of the contraceptive pill.
‘I was told if I had procrastinated getting checked for another year I would’ve died,’ she said.
Now Brooke is making it her mission to combat against the cancer and raise awareness online, but is uncertain whether to undergo surgery to determine if the cancer has spread or dive straight into treatment.
Brooke Gold, 34, (pictured left) has always been diligent with pap smears but admitted to delaying seeing her doctor over the past five years due to her busy lifestyle and being ‘scared’ of the result after her grandmother died from ovarian cancer
Prior to the diagnosis on February 18 the HR manager told FEMAIL she experienced spotting between periods, which were identified by physicians as ‘side effects’ of the contraceptive pill
In November 2020 Brooke had a check-up smear test and said she has never had any previous negative results or issues.
But a few days later the doctor advised her to visit a gynaecologist for a biopsy, which lead to a LEEP procedure on February 5 as a precaution to remove the abnormal cells detected.
‘My partner came with me to the follow-up meeting with the gynaecologist who told me I had a 4cm growth on my cervix which was diagnosed as cervical cancer,’ she said.
‘It was a complete shock and the days that followed were a blur; I was terrified and overwhelmed over what will come next, I just kept thinking “why me?”.’
Brooke has always maintained a fit and healthy lifestyle, eats well and goes to the gym often.
‘My partner came with me to the follow-up meeting with the gynaecologist who told me I had a 4cm growth on my cervix which was diagnosed as cervical cancer,’ she said
The test detected the cancer as stage 1, but doctors cannot determine whether it has spread to Brooke’s lymph nodes unless surgery is conducted.
Brooke said the cancer itself is ‘terrifying’ as it’s usually asymptomatic – meaning an individual could be living with the disease but have no symptoms.
Proceeding forward Brooke is uncertain whether she should risk having surgery to determine if the cancer has spread to her lymph nodes or if she should start chemotherapy and radiation.
The test detected the cancer as stage 1, but doctors cannot determine whether it has spread to Brooke’s lymph nodes unless surgery is conducted
Brooke said the cancer itself is ‘terrifying’ as it’s often asymptomatic – meaning an individual could be living with the disease but have no symptoms
The decision proves to be difficult as if she starts having treatment to remove the cancer, she will be unable to carry children.
‘Before I was diagnosed my partner and I had a conversation about extending our family, but now we’re considering fertility options,’ Brooke said.
She added she fears leaving her 11-year-old son and loved ones behind, but is motivated to do everything she can to overcome the cancer.
‘I really want women to know that this can happen to everyone, and how getting tested early can mean the difference between saving your life or going through a tough journey to save your life,’ she said
Currently Brooke is ‘taking each day as it comes’ as is trying to remain focused on work to ensure the distressing diagnosis doesn’t consume her everyday life.
‘I just want to carry on as normal as possible without letting the dark cloud impact me too much; I still go to the gym every day and spend time with family,’ she said.
‘I really want women to know that this can happen to everyone, and how getting tested early can mean the difference between saving your life or going through a tough journey to save your life.’
Aspirating to raise awareness, she also shared an image with her 14,000 Instagram followers on February 28.
‘It’ll be a chapter in my story and as the amazing love of my life has pointed out, “will just make me stronger in the end”,’ she wrote.