Today is #WorldOvarianCancerDay. I am sharing my story to raise awareness about this disease. I do it with a grimace. This wasn’t supposed to be my story.
From Jan - May 2021, I had symptoms. Bloating, lower back pain, slight increase in need to urinate, fatigue. I was misdiagnosed, despite having had 2 transvaginal ultrasounds.
I was 42. They thought endometriosis. No one thought #OvarianCancer. My Uncle, an #obygyn, suggested I get a blood test to rule out cancer. My CA 125 level was 925 (normal <35). That same day I contacted a gyn/onc.
Two weeks later a laparotomy. They diagnosed stage 3C, high-grade serous ovarian cancer. I’ve been on treatment ever since, living on borrowed time, extending my life with medication.
I am mad as hell that I was misdiagnosed for so long. And mad as hell that there’s been minimal progress in the treatment of ovarian cancer.
But recently I’ve been able to release some fear & find some light. I am savouring every moment. Bending like a reed so I won’t break. Smiling through my cute steroid cheeks. Rocking my fave saffron colour. Receiving & giving as much love as I can.
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A terminal cancer diagnosis has changed the arc of my career.
I'm winding down the lab, but VERY excited to launch a fundraising campaign to raise money for young scholars to participate in the Research Society on Alcoholism Annual Meeting.
This fund is earmarked for young scholars from backgrounds that are diverse, under-resourced, marginalized or traditionally under-represented in psychological and neural sciences.
The Research Society on Alcoholism annual meeting has been crucial for my scientific & personal growth. It is at this meeting that I found my confidence & came to embrace my identifies as a Pakistani, female neuroscientist.