Teenager, 15, refuses a hysterectomy after becoming one of the youngest women to be diagnosed with ovarian cancer

Beckii Handy went to see her GP thinking she had indigestion in 2011

She was shocked when doctors revealed she was suffering ovarian cancer

As part of her treatment doctors advised she had a hysterectomy

But the then 15-year-old refused to maintain hopes of starting a family

She had two rounds of chemotherapy and was given the all-clear in 2012

Now 18, she said: 'If I had not gone to the doctor, I might not be here now'

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Teenager Beckii Handy refused to have a hysterectomy despite being diagnosed with ovarian cancer

A 15-year-old turned down a hysterectomy despite becoming one of the youngest women in the UK to be diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

Beckii Handy visited her GP, complaining of what she thought was indigestion.

But she and her parents Jan and Chrys Handy, were shocked when doctors revealed the teenager was suffering a type of cancer, more often diagnosed in women over the age of 50.

As part of the treatment doctors suggested was a hysterectomy - the removal of the womb, which would have left Beckii unable to carry her own children.

But the teenager bravely refused, determined to maintain her fertility and ability to bear children.

'The doctor started to examine me and it became very painful,' she said. 'I was sent for tests but I never dreamed I would be told I had cancer.'

Beckii, from Solihull in the West Midlands, bravely refused a hysterectomy to maintain her hopes of having children in the future.

'There was no way I was having it and they couldn’t do it without my permission,' she said.

'Due to my stubbornness, I can hopefully now go on and have children.'

Beckii was diagnosed in August 2011 and underwent two types of chemotherapy treatment.

The now 18-year-old was given the all-clear in January 2012.

She has forged links with the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, which gives young people in recovery from cancer the chance to rebuild their confidence through sailing.

And earlier this month she teamed up with British Olympic sailing star Sir Ben Ainslie to take part in the J.P Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race around the Isle of Wight.

'When you get the all clear, people expect you to have this big celebration but it is something I really struggled to deal with,' Beckii said.

'You’re left thinking: "Well, what now?" The Trust has been amazing and I have made some great friends through it. 

'If I had not gone to the doctor that day, I probably would not be here now.'

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Diagnosed at 15, Beckii is thought to be among the youngest women in the UK to be diagnosed with the disease, which is usually seen in older women. Beckii is pictured with her mother Jan Handy

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Beckii was diagnosed in August 2011 and underwent two types of chemotherapy treatment. The now 18-year-old was given the all-clear in January 2012

She also urged teenagers to have any health problems checked out promptly.

'I get annoyed when friends tell me they have aches and pains but they haven’t been to the see the doctor,' she said. 

'I think young people can get embarrassed about going to the doctor but what is a bit of embarrassment if it saves your life?'

The J.P Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race is one of the largest participation sporting events in the UK and the largest yacht race of its kind in the world.

Organised by the Island Sailing Club in Cowes, it has been dubbed ‘Britain’s favourite yacht race’, regularly attracting around 1,500 boats and 16,000 competitors.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2672039/Teenager-15-refuses-hysterectomy-one-youngest-women-diagnosed-ovarian-cancer.html#ixzz36W12qb6s 
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Teenager, 19, who thought her watery eye was caused by make-up discovers it is CANCER tumour behind her nose

When Tasha Jilka began suffering from a watery left eye, she put the strange symptom down to her make-up or the seasonal weather.

But far from being an innocuous allergic reaction to cosmetics, the teenager's bizarre ailment was one which changed her life forever, as she was later diagnosed with cancer.

The 19-year-old's watery eye was caused by a rare cancer tumour called olfactory neuroblastoma at the back of her nose which left doctors eventually having to rebuild her whole face.

Rebuilding her life: Tasha Jilka has had extensive surgery to rebuild her face following the shock discovery of a cancer tumour behind her nose

Tasha's rare diagnosis was eventually made a year after she first suffered the watery eye, having been missed by doctors and opticians.

Her ordeal began in May 2008, when, aged 16, her symptoms began.

Tasha, from Leicester, said: 'My left eye was very watery but I just put it down to make-up. It kept getting worse and I decided to go to my GP.

'It was put down to a cold and the weather and I was told it would go by itself.

 

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'I went back a few times when it didn’t get better and was referred to an optician, but they couldn’t find anything either.'

Four months later, her eye had got worse and she was referred to a Cambridgeshire hospital, as she was living near there at the time.

Tasha had an operation to clear a blocked tear duct - but it still did not solve her problems.

In 2009, when she and her family moved to Leicester, she again went to her doctor and was referred to specialists at Leicester Royal Infirmary.

Tasha said: 'I had a similar eye test but this time doctors also looked up my nose and could see a lump.'

A biopsy was taken and a short time later, Tasha’s cancer was diagnosed.

Rare: Olfactory neuroblastoma is a form of cancer which affects the superior recess of the nasal cavity (stock picture)

She said: 'When I was told it was as if they were talking about someone else. I knew it was serious.

'I thought it was a little lump in my face but the news began to sink in.'

In May 2010 Tasha had surgery to remove the tumour.

It was so severe that surgeons had to reconstruct her nose and she is still having problems with the vision in one eye.

She has had two major operations, one to remove the tumour and a second to rebuild her nose.

It has also meant the shape of her face has changed.

Tasha said: 'I am very strong and I am pulling through, but it is very hard.

'I feel if I had been diagnosed earlier and known more about the symptoms, I might not have had to have two such major operations.

'I have lost a lot of feeling in my face and my sense of smell.'

Tasha is now backing a campaign by charity the Teenage Cancer Trust to raise awareness of cancer in young people.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2138048/Teen-19-thought-watery-eye-caused-make-discovers-CANCER.html#ixzz1tfmVviMV