WATCH: ‘My smear test saved my life’ says Highland woman fighting cervical cancer
An Inverness woman ‘mourns the loss of the girl she used to be’ after she was diagnosed with cervical cancer and had her 'life change forever'.
Primary school teacher Cara Ryan (35), from Inverness, was diagnosed with cervical cancer last year after cancerous cells were detected via her smear test. However, after previously enduring a painful smear test, she ‘regretfully’ put the appointment off until she was subsequently diagnosed with stage three cervical cancer.
A smear test, also known as a cervical screening or pap test, is a procedure that collects cells from the cervix to check for abnormal changes that could lead to cervical cancer.
When talking about why Cara delayed getting the procedure done, she said: “I suppose part of the reasons why I didn’t get my smear test done sooner was embarrassment, shame and fear of the unknown.”
Prior to her smear test, Cara suffered from severe abdominal and back pain, which was put down to having irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which is a chronic digestive disorder that affects the gut-brain interaction. However, these symptoms were actually signs of cervical cancer and weren't discovered until after her smear test.
Immediately after the appointment, Cara spiralled with panic as the first thing that sprang to her mind was 'am I going to die?'.
She said: "I was initially hysterical and started asking all these questions that couldn't be answered right away. It was a truly terrible day."
After having a biopsy and MRI scan it was conclusive that Cara had cancer.
For almost two years Cara has endured gruelling cancer treatment, from radiotherapy, chemotherapy and even brachytherapy, also known as internal radiation therapy, which is a form of a radiation for cervical cancer that involves placing a radioactive material inside or near the tumour.
Brachytherapy is one of the oldest forms of cancer treatment, but is also incredibly intrusive and unpleasant.
Cara described the therapy as ‘traumatising’, but ‘essential’ for her recovery.
Unfortunately, this did not completely get rid of the cancer. In fact, it had come back with vengeance. Cara’s cancer had grown.
Due to this, Cara had to have a ‘huge surgery’ that meant she endured a hysterectomy, in addition to losing her bladder and bowel.
In the run up to the surgery, Cara was tormented by the thought of what was going to happen to her during those 12-hours of being under anaesthetic and how her life would be a new type of ‘normal’.
To help her along the way, Cara made a video journal, and in one clip prior to the surgery, she said: “I feel like I have pretty much been hit by a bus, but now I’m feeling tired of being tired.
“I am tired of feeling worried and stressed, it’s just a lot. It’s my last thought before going to bed, I’ve even been dreaming about this surgery.”
In July 2024, Cara woke up in a hospital bed with a new life. A life that now consisted of two stoma bags after losing two of her vital organs.
She said: “When I see other people with stomas, I think wow you’re amazing, it’s incredible what your body can do and incredible what medicine can do, but when I think about it on myself it makes me feel a bit disgusted and I don’t know why.”
Cara has since been adjusting to her new life and has begun breaking down what ‘cancer means’ to her.
She said: “I see cancer in layers, a bit like an onion. So, you have your diagnosis which is a lot to process in itself, then you have your treatment which is a lot with all the scans and its impact and then you have the collateral damage; the loss of your fertility, the change in your future, the physical changes to your body.”
Throughout her journey, Cara has experienced an ‘awful lot of loss and mourning’.
She said: “I really do mourn the loss of the way I thought I was going to have children and my future, wondering if I am going to be here in 10 years.
“Sometimes I fully accept it, but other times I think it is a little bit unfair. It’s a small price for life and that’s the price I had to pay to be here I suppose.
“I particularly mourn the loss of the girl I used to be. I used to be super care-free, I never used to wake up and my first thought was cancer, or question ‘is this going to be my last day?’, or what’s the next scan going to show.”
Cara continues to fight against her diagnosis and while she preserveres with the constant nausea and weakness from her most recent operation, she is persistently brave and determined to recover to feel like the ‘girl she used to be’.
Now, after a debilitating two years, Cara is stepping out of her comfort zone by sharing her story to help encourage other women to go for their smear test.
She said: “Going for your smear test is just as important as wearing a seatbelt, it should just be done and it will absolutely save your life.
“My biggest regret is putting it off and not making it a priority.
“Nobody looks forward to it, it’s uncomfortable, some people find it painful, it can be embarrassing, it can be shameful, but that discomfort for a 10-minute appointment truly can save your life because I promise you the alternative is not worth it.”
