Survivor Talks of Getting Ovarian Cancer at Seventeen

Lindsay was just 17 years old in 2005 when she was diagnosed with stage 1 ovarian cancer. Her symptoms started at the end of her junior year of high school. As a competitive cheerleader, she was very active and worked out nearly every day. Sometime around March of 2005, Lindsay noticed that her stomach was very distended, like she had just eaten a really large meal. Her arms got very skinny too, which her doctor later explained was her body protecting the tumor by moving all of her water weight towards her stomach. Lindsay says that she probably had abnormal bleeding and cramping, though she didn't realize it because she had just started her period a couple of years before this point and it wasn't regular yet.

Doctors were confused by her symptoms

Over the course of the next six weeks, Lindsay went to the doctor three times. Her symptoms continued to get worse, but the doctors could not figure out what was causing them. At first, they thought she had a bowel obstruction and put her on milk of magnesia. Eventually, they gave her a blood test and found a tumor biomarker. The following day, the doctors gave her a CAT scan and discovered a tumor the size of a grapefruit on her left ovary. By that time, her stomach was so distended that she looked like she was several months pregnant. Although the doctors did not know yet if it was cancer, they agreed that the best course of action would be to remove it immediately.

In May of 2005, several days after the doctors found Lindsay's tumor, she had the surgery. They were able to successfully remove the tumor, her left ovary, and her left fallopian tube, but they left the right side alone. After they had removed the tumor, the lab confirmed that it was cancer.

News of chemotherapy after her surgery

When Lindsay awoke from her surgery, her doctor told her that it was a malignant germ-cell cancer in stage 1. The tumor had begun to metastasize and burst. Although she didn't feel it happen, there were still cancer cells floating around inside her body and she would need chemotherapy even though all of the tumor had been removed. Lindsay says she remembered feeling very calm, which was unusual compared to her usually emotional self. She never cried, not even once, and jumped straight into survival mode. For two long weeks, she stayed in the hospital enjoying the company of friends and family stocked with gifts, love, and support.

Lindsay told Women's Health that she was terrified of going through chemotherapy. She started while she was first in the hospital and it lasted the entire summer break, from May to August. She feels fortunate that she only lost her hair and not her eyebrows or eyelashes, and never got very sick like many other chemotherapy patients do. However, she did hate how she was treated differently and became very self-conscious. Because she lost her hair and was so young, people often stared. Completely random strangers had no problems with approaching her when she was out in public, asking her questions about what happened or what cancer she had. While she understands that they were just curious, she was already very shy and it made her feel so insecure. Over time, she had devised a script that simply stated that she had ovarian cancer and was going through chemotherapy.

Photo credit: Women's Health Magazine