Sherry's Story
by her loving sister, Michelle Ball
While having a complete hysterectomy can reduce a woman’s risk of redeveloping
ovarian cancer, it does not eliminate her risk entirely - even if both of her ovaries are
removed. My sister Sherry learned this the hard way. When she was 38, Sherry went
to her gynecologist with stomach distention, bloating, and heavy bleeding during her
monthly and in between cycles. Ultrasound determined a mass on her right ovary and a
total abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy was recommended.
The mass removed was a fibrous tumor later diagnosed as a Granulosa Cell Tumor
(GCT) Granulosa Cell Ovarian cancer is a rare type of ovarian cancer that originates
from the granulosa cells, which support the development of eggs. Primary surgery is
usually curative due to the early stage of the disease. The doctor at the time was
confident the threat was contained, the malignancy low grade, and no further treatment
needed.
Fast forward 12 years and my sister again started experiencing bloating, stomach
distention and fatigue. Sherry reached out to her doctor who reassured her that, after
all, she had a hysterectomy, and they were sure they got everything and there was
nothing to worry about. Sherry dismissed her symptoms and chalked it up to middle age
weight gain. Sherry tried everything to lose what she thought was belly fat and fix her
crushing fatigue and malaise. Two years later, doubled over in pain from her distended
abdomen, she knew something was terribly wrong. Sherry couldn’t shake the thought
that she had another tumor. This nagging thought drove her to seek out a specialist and
sure enough CT scans and MRI’s showed multiple large tumors in her abdomen. These
tumors turned out to be the same Granulosa Cell Tumors, only this time they were
graded more malignant and aggressive. Sherry spent years battling this disease with
chemotherapies, radiation, and multiple surgeries because the tumors kept returning.
Unfortunately, my sister lost her battle at the age of 62.
The message my sister wanted to get across to all the women in her life and others is to
listen to your body, even if you are dismissed at first by medical professionals. Keep
pushing forward and find a doctor or specialist that will listen to you and perform the
necessary diagnostic tests. Do not take no for an answer. If you or someone you know
has ever been diagnosed with Granulosa Cell Ovarian Cancer, it is imperative to get
lifelong follow up visits with their gynecologists. Continued studies have shown the
interconnectedness of the female body and there is much to learn about these rare
ovarian cancers and how they behave. Until there are better screening technologies,
women must be advocates for themselves. My sister was always the quiet type and
never like to question experts in their field, but if she were alive today, I bet she would
scream it from the top of her lungs,
LISTEN to ME!!
ovarian cancer, it does not eliminate her risk entirely - even if both of her ovaries are
removed. My sister Sherry learned this the hard way. When she was 38, Sherry went
to her gynecologist with stomach distention, bloating, and heavy bleeding during her
monthly and in between cycles. Ultrasound determined a mass on her right ovary and a
total abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy was recommended.
The mass removed was a fibrous tumor later diagnosed as a Granulosa Cell Tumor
(GCT) Granulosa Cell Ovarian cancer is a rare type of ovarian cancer that originates
from the granulosa cells, which support the development of eggs. Primary surgery is
usually curative due to the early stage of the disease. The doctor at the time was
confident the threat was contained, the malignancy low grade, and no further treatment
needed.
Fast forward 12 years and my sister again started experiencing bloating, stomach
distention and fatigue. Sherry reached out to her doctor who reassured her that, after
all, she had a hysterectomy, and they were sure they got everything and there was
nothing to worry about. Sherry dismissed her symptoms and chalked it up to middle age
weight gain. Sherry tried everything to lose what she thought was belly fat and fix her
crushing fatigue and malaise. Two years later, doubled over in pain from her distended
abdomen, she knew something was terribly wrong. Sherry couldn’t shake the thought
that she had another tumor. This nagging thought drove her to seek out a specialist and
sure enough CT scans and MRI’s showed multiple large tumors in her abdomen. These
tumors turned out to be the same Granulosa Cell Tumors, only this time they were
graded more malignant and aggressive. Sherry spent years battling this disease with
chemotherapies, radiation, and multiple surgeries because the tumors kept returning.
Unfortunately, my sister lost her battle at the age of 62.
The message my sister wanted to get across to all the women in her life and others is to
listen to your body, even if you are dismissed at first by medical professionals. Keep
pushing forward and find a doctor or specialist that will listen to you and perform the
necessary diagnostic tests. Do not take no for an answer. If you or someone you know
has ever been diagnosed with Granulosa Cell Ovarian Cancer, it is imperative to get
lifelong follow up visits with their gynecologists. Continued studies have shown the
interconnectedness of the female body and there is much to learn about these rare
ovarian cancers and how they behave. Until there are better screening technologies,
women must be advocates for themselves. My sister was always the quiet type and
never like to question experts in their field, but if she were alive today, I bet she would
scream it from the top of her lungs,
LISTEN to ME!!
