Leanne’s Journey
Leanne’s speech at our 2023 September Fundraiser Lunch:
“Ladies, I feel honoured to stand before you today to share my journey with you, one that has taken me from the peaks of health to the very dark depths of illness, but ultimately, I believe that my journey is one of resilience and one of hope.
In 2008, at the age of 24, I underwent my first smear test, earlier than the standard guideline of 25. This early smear test was prompted by symptoms of heavy bleeding, and my empathetic GP recognized the need for things to be investigated. However, the results were reported as normal, and life moved forward.
A few years later, in 2011, after my next routine smear test, the script then changed dramatically. My results arrived home in a letter bearing alarming news: "Severe dyskaryosis." –my smear showed abnormal changes in the cells of my cervix. A colposcopy referral followed swiftly, to take a closer look at my cervix and investigate what was going on. The doctor performing the procedure tried to suppress my concerns, citing my age of 27 as a reassurance. Yet, intuition whispered otherwise and I knew deep down that something wasn’t right.
Time ticked away and the "all clear" results from my colposcopy never came. When the doctor asked me to see him for an in-person discussion, I knew what was coming. My suspicions were finally confirmed and I received a cervical cancer diagnosis at 27 years old.
From this moment on, an arduous journey commenced – one which didn’t lead me to The Royal Marsden for another 10 years…
I was guided to a gynae oncologist after my colposcopy and found comfort in the words "likely stage 1a1, treatable."
The following year, In February 2012, the tumour met its match during a routine surgery, and I was gifted with clear margins. Everything seemed to be fine and a decade of normalcy followed, marked by regular smears and check-ups.
I met my husband in this time and in 2013, the miracle of pregnancy graced our lives—a true testament to hope's resilience. They said I might not be able to conceive after my cervical cancer diagnosis but I was lucky enough to become a mum to not just one but twin boys! My husband's testicular cancer diagnosis had foretold a different path, but against the odds, we became parents. My two beautiful children– Alfred and Edward - are now nine years old.
Yet, as the years unfolded after my boys were born, pelvic pain, bloating, and heavy periods became unwelcome companions. I had a couple of ultrasounds over this time and was diagnosed with endometriosis, but my other symptoms were dismissed as things like IBS and polycystic ovaries.
Then, in 2020, the pain intensified. My frequent UTIs and abdominal agony couldn't be ignored any longer. I refused to be dismissed and insisted on being referred to a gynaecologist. An MRI unveiled the elusive culprit—a suspicious mass located on my lower spine. Finally, I was taken seriously.
Subsequent biopsies and scans showed a number of ominous lymph node masses. After two months of doctors thinking I had lymphoma, a type of blood cancer, I finally received a diagnosis of Squamous Cell Carcinoma, likely linked to my initial cervical cancer, which shook me to my core. Ten years had passed, a decade of clear smears but I was now being told I had Stage 4 metastatic cancer—how could this happen?
My twin boys were just seven years old at the time.
I’ve since discovered that I was misdiagnosed in 2012, that my cervical cancer had already started to progress and spread outside of my cervix area. It’s slightly serendipitous as if I’d been treated properly back then, I may have needed a hysterectomy and would never have had my twin boys.
September 2021 is where my Royal Marsden journey began, I knew that if I was to have the best chance, I needed the best experts, treatment and care. I immediately knew that I was in the best place. My wonderful new consultant at The Royal Marsden reassured me that I was, "Stage 4 but salvageable." I’ve always held onto these words and my consultant, Dr Susan Lalondrelle, has always been endlessly optimistic and positive. She immediately knew what to do.
The gruelling treatment journey began from here, featuring chemotherapy and radiotherapy. I lost my hair and there were moments when I wondered if it would ever end.
But it did. And I began to mend.
January 2022 marked the end of treatment, and in March , my scans were finally clear after chemotherapy, radiotherapy and a robotic surgery —my treatment had been a success.
Only a few months later during the summer of 2022, I started to suffer from leg pain and the thought of recurrence haunted me.
In May this year, I found myself back at The Royal Marsden, hospitalized and grappling with chronic pain. My worst fears were confirmed, I’d suffered a recurrence and was told that I’d need more chemotherapy treatment. This felt like a huge blow after having clear scans only a year ago.
Chemotherapy started yet again, and today, I stand here, four sessions down out of six, with no evidence of active disease in my body. My latest scans, just two weeks ago – were all clear. I’ve been able to go on holiday with my family and think about the future again. I know that being diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer means there is always a risk of it popping up again, it feels like playing whack a mole with it at times. But I’ve learnt to manage this and to try and stay positive.
I want to share my story so that people know cancer isn’t always a death sentence. My story has two crucial messages. Firstly, never overlook a smear test; it is a lifesaver. Second, please listen to your body. Advocate for yourself; you know what’s normal.
Thank you for listening to my journey—a journey for which I’m incredibly grateful to have had the support of The Royal Marsden, a remarkable institution that has gifted me the most priceless treasure of all—more time.
I hope that my story has demonstrated why it’s so important to raise awareness of gynae cancers and why research into these cancers is so vital. The support from The Lady Garden Foundation is absolutely invaluable; my own consultant, Dr Susan Lalondrelle, is herself carrying out a number of research projects which are being funded by The Lady Garden Foundation – to help change the lives of patients with gynae cancers. Your support here today is directly making a difference to people like me and my family.
On behalf of everyone going through a cancer diagnosis, thank you for everything you are doing, for all your support.
Hold your loved ones tight, don’t sweat the small stuff and be kind – always.”