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Daniella Dominie was just 33 when doctors told her she had cervical cancer and would need a hysterectomy to get rid of it for good.
It all started with her routine Pap test. Daniella’s GP noticed that there was bleeding and as she was not having her period, he sent her to a gynecologist.
Daniella wasn’t worried until the specialist spoke between her legs, while looking at the speculum and directly at her cervix.
“It’s big and it’s ugly,” the doctor said of a cyst-like mass at the top of her cervix.
Her stomach dropped, but at that point she had no idea that the “cyst” was actually cancer.
Daniella Dominie was just 33 when doctors told her she had cervical cancer and would need a hysterectomy to get rid of it for good.
Daniella pictured on family vacation two weeks before she was diagnosed with cancer
She went home, took a shower and collapsed on the floor in tears.
“At that point I told myself I wasn’t going to have any more children, I was devastated,” she said.
Her daughters were only three and five at the time and Daniella felt ready to have another baby. In fact, she always dreamed of having four children.
The days that followed are all a blur. Within two weeks, the energetic mother was diagnosed with stage 1B cervical cancer and underwent a complete hysterectomy, which pushed her into menopause overnight and left her bedridden for month.
Daniella remembers the oncologist breaking the news to her and recommending a radical hysterectomy.
“She asked me if I had kids, if I was happy,” Daniella said.
‘And I was.’
“I asked if I was going to die, she said no, but she was worried about my quality of life after treatment. I should have asked more questions,” she said.
This huge surgery completely changed Daniella.
Daniella, pictured recently, feared she would die after doctors said she had cancer.
She lost her inexhaustible drive and love of organization.
“I used to be the mom who planned birthday parties a year in advance,” she said. “Now I do everything at the last minute.”
Her body also changed with the onset of menopause overnight, and she spent months determining the right amount of hormone replacement medications to use to prevent her symptoms from dominating her life.
She became more angry and impatient and felt devastated every time her children wanted her to pick them up.
“They were too little to understand,” she said.
Daniella’s doctor operated quickly, giving her no time to have her eggs harvested or frozen.
“She said she could cure me but she wanted to act quickly because if it spread, especially to my ovaries, I would be screwed.”
Since then, Daniella has made peace with not having any more children.
Daniella always wanted to have four children, but is grateful she was able to have two before she got cancer.
She underwent a radical hysterectomy to remove all of her reproductive organs to limit the risk of the disease recurring.
And doctors told her it was incredibly lucky she hadn’t already gotten pregnant with number three.
“They said if I had failed that test and been pregnant, I would have had to make difficult decisions later,” she said.
It would have meant choosing between her own life and that of her unborn baby.
It’s been six years since the “big, ugly” tumor was spotted at the edge of the mother’s cervix and she has spent much of that time advocating for women and reminding them to get checked on time every time. times.
“I am living proof that early detection saves lives,” she said.
In fact, his campaign helped the women around him.
“So many cousins and friends came to get their Pap smear, it was a huge shock for everyone,” she said.
“I’ve had people message me thanking me for my warning because precancerous cells showed up in their tests,” she said.
Daniella says she has reached the point in her recovery where she feels happy and healthy.
And even though she has a scar to remind her of her ordeal, it looks like a C-section and doesn’t bother her.
“I sometimes get depressed and wonder if or when the cancer will come back. And it was hard for a long time but I have my life and I have my two daughters,” she said.
Daniella now works with the Australian Cervical Cancer Foundation, an organization which she says has helped her overcome her diagnosis and recovery.
She wants people to take five minutes out of their day every five years to stay up to date with their screenings.
961 people are expected to be diagnosed with cervical cancer in Australia this year, many of whom will be aged 30 to 44.
Assistant Professor Annabelle Farnsworth, a leading expert in the field of cervical cancer and Ambassador for Pathology Awareness Australia, echoes Daniella’s message that early detection saves lives.
She says she wouldn’t be alive today if she hadn’t been so obsessed with organizing.
She explained that even women who have received the HPV vaccine are at risk and emphasized the fact that it is a young woman’s disease.
“This is largely because the vaccine only covers certain types of viruses associated with the development of cervical disease. The very first cervical HPV vaccine introduced in 2007 covered four subtypes of the virus,” she explained.
“In 2018, a vaccine of nine subtypes was introduced. Additionally, Australia’s National Cancer Screening Program, as well as the World Health Organization, recommend that people with cervical cancer continue to get screened even if they are fully vaccinated.
Adj Professor Farnsworth warns that cervical cancer mainly affects women who have not had regular screenings. About 70 percent of cervical cancers occur in people who have never been screened.
Daniella had no symptoms of cancer before her diagnosis.