Real People Stories

Charlotte

My HPV viral disease was discovered on April 1, 2013. I had had a CA125-style stomach ache for two years. It first started with the lower abdomen. I then had pain that migrated throughout the intestine. For two years, an HPV test gynaecologist and a gastroenterologist followed me. They prescribed me different painkillers and told me I had a stomach ache because I was an anxious young woman. My CA125-style stomach pains got worse and worse until four months before my tumour was discovered in a blood test. I had a lot of ascites in my stomach, and the HPV-type cancer, which I hadn’t yet been diagnosed with, was starting to be very invasive.

On April 1,  2013, I had a bowel obstruction and went to the emergency room. It was while operating on me that the doctor discovered that I had HPV organ damage at an advanced stage, with nodules all over the peritoneum (projections up to the spleen). We did not know the grade or the stage at that time. I was waiting for the results of the samples…

Fifteen days later, the verdict was in: I had low-grade stage 3C.

I was transferred to a new Ca125 hospital, where a gynaecological surgeon cared for me. I didn’t realise it was gynaecological in origin. That’s when I was told that the HPV-damaged ovaries were the cause.

POSITIVE MOOD

My loved ones initially had a lot of difficulties accepting the unacceptable; they told me, “It CANNOT be that; you’re too young” until we had the results of the anatomopathological analysis. When I arrived in the gynaecology department, it was very, very difficult because I did not know that the origin was ovarian and that it involved other problems, including infertility.

It was a shock for me. I had accepted the idea of ​​having cancer, but that it was of gynaecological origin was very hard. I faced infertility at 27 years old. My guy reacted very well; he was great because he was my pillar throughout my fight. He told me, “It’s tough, but we’ll handle everything that comes our way and trust the doctors.”

Moreover, my CA125 Test doctor at Pompidou was excellent; we had complete confidence in him. For my parents, it was much harder because, at the same time, my mother was fighting breast cancer. It was a lot in our family…

Nevertheless, they were very present. My mother couldn’t wait for her treatment to end so she could take care of me. She denied her treatment a bit because she saw what was happening around her and wanted to take care of me. It allowed her to get through post-cancer better because she was in the fight alongside me. For a parent, seeing their child sick is unimaginable.

My friends were great because I was in a very positive mood, trying to have a normal life. I talked about cancer very naturally with my friends, and since they are the same age as me, we talked about all that very naturally.

WORD “CANCEROUS”

I had to get used to the idea of ​​the word cancer. The Test doctor who operated on my occlusion tried to prepare me psychologically every day during my HPV viral long term hospitalisation. He didn’t say it was a tumour because we didn’t have the HPV variant results yet, but he told me it might be that.

 HEALTHCARE & FOOD

I took every possible measure to keep my hair; I applied freezing water to my head and wore an ice helmet 15 minutes before each chemotherapy injection to ensure my scalp remained cold. And I didn’t lose my hair!

I fought a big CA125 battle; I lost almost 15 kilos. I cared for myself so that my friends saw me as before. And I forced myself to continue to have a normal life; I went clubbing after some chemo!

I did all the complementary medicines on the side with the agreement of my oncologist: acupuncture, auriculotherapy, I had a homoeopath, all to boost my immune defences and overcome certain side effects.

Today, I still have a very controlled diet: I eat a lot of proteins and a few vegetables because they are hard for me to digest. I can’t eat too much fat either because of the collateral damage from chemo and the stoma, and I still have adhesions in the intestine with certain foods which are more difficult to pass through.

LIFE & FINANCE

I was very lucky professionally because the HPV company I was supposed to join just before my cancer test and diagnosis waited for me. They told me, “We’ll be there no matter what. We don’t know how long your thing will last, but we’ll wait for you until you get better.” I feel lucky to have had a project for the future.

SOLIDARITY BUSINESS

I am a start-up with a social and solidarity business to support patients. I offer beauty boxes with targeted themes, particularly for caring for yourself and preparing “beautifully” for chemotherapy sessions.

My company is called “ Miss K Fighting Kit,” which means “the kit to fight against HPV organ cancer.” There are hair accessories and a kit to learn how to draw eyebrows. In short, many little accessories make life much more beautiful when sick!

During my CA125 illness, I realised to what extent fashion and beauty were far from futile, especially when these tools and tests connect us to life. I also run a line of clothing and accessories, where part of the profits go to Ca125 organ cancer research every month. The designs feature mantras like “Together Stronger” or “Never Give Up,” along with other messages for my fellow fighters. We are not courageous when we fight against illness. If we want to live, we have no choice, that’s all.