'I had no symptoms, but then got an horrific diagnosis - I could have died'

A cervical cancer patient was told she 'wouldn't be here today' if she'd postponed her smear test by just six months - despite having no symptoms before being examined.

Elizabeth Ham, 37, said she has always been 'up to date' with her smear tests – also known as a cervical screening – which check the health of the cervix, and the results have always been negative. In November 2020, aged 34, she underwent the routine screening and 'thought nothing of it', as she felt 'there was nothing wrong with [her]' and she was fit and healthy.

But just two weeks later, an horrific ordeal began as she was told she had cervical cancer. Now a cancer survivor, Elizabeth is urging all women to get tested, saying 'those five minutes can save your life'.

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A fortnight after her routine screening, Elizabeth received a phone call from the hospital asking her to go in for further tests, which included a colposcopy – a test to take a closer look at the cervix – and a cervical biopsy, where a small sample of cells is taken for testing. She was then called in for blood tests, a pelvic MRI scan and a chest x-ray.

The next day, on December 8, she received the devastating news that she had stage 1B2 cervical cancer. Elizabeth was told her form of cancer spreads rapidly, and her consultant advised her that a radical hysterectomy – a surgical procedure to remove the womb – would be the best treatment, but it would result in her going into surgical menopause and being unable to conceive.

While this was a 'hard decision' to make, Elizabeth said: "You just want to survive, you'll do whatever it takes."

Elizabeth, a settlements manager who lives in