Nurse, 27, with cervical cancer posts heartbreaking selfie after putting off smear test
Jessica Milburn had been pregnant with her son when she was invited for her first smear
A NURSE has posted a heartbreaking hospital selfie blaming herself for developing cervical cancer.
Jessica Milburn says that the disease has "robbed" her husband of the chance of having more kids with her.
The 27-year-old admits to putting off reminders to get herself checked.
The mum from Carlisle, Cumbria, has now had to have extensive surgery and faces an agonising wait to see if the cancer has spread to any other parts of her body.
She said: “After finding out I had cervical cancer my world crumbled. I had never been more scared in my whole life. All I could think about was leaving my beautiful son without a mummy.
“Today I have taken the first step towards hopefully beating the cruel disease. Sadly it came at a price.
“To remove the tumour I have had to have a radical hysterectomy. This has taken away my chance to be a mother again, which I so desperately wanted.
“It has affected my husband, he is the most amazing father and like myself dreamed of future children. It has robbed him of that chance.
“My guilt is overwhelming even though I know it's silly."
Jessica was first invited for a smear at 25 but she was pregnant with her son, Sam, so she wasn't able to go.
After she'd given birth, she kept putting it off.
"I'm not even sure why. I think it was a mix of embarrassment and fear.
“I told my friends I had missed my smear and they pressured me until I booked to have one."
She's sharing her terrifying story in a bid to encourage other women to get themselves checked and to not kowtow to embarrassment.
“Ladies we need to get over our embarrassment and save our own lives! It's not something you should put off or delay.
“Five minutes of slight embarrassment for the rest of your life is a good deal!
“I'm sorry if my post posts are depressing and upsetting but I'm so determined to spread awareness. Something positive has to come from this!”
She says that her husband Stuart was devasted when he found out.
"We both thought I would die and our hearts broke for Sam.
"I feel guilty because it's my body. The cancer has changed our dreams for a bigger family. It still could leave my husband a widow and my son without a mother.
“My family don’t deserve to go through this. They are amazing.”
Jessica accompanied her message with a photo from her hospital bed shortly after going through the invasive procedure.
Uptake for cervical cancer screening is at an all-time low, with research suggesting embarrassment over smear tests putting off almost five million women.
Cheers For Smears
Fabulous has partnered with cervical cancer charity Jo’s Trust to launch #CheersForSmears, a campaign aiming to ensure women across the UK attend their screenings, no matter what.
With around 3,200 women in the UK now being diagnosed with the disease every year – a number that is set to rise by around 40% within 20 years – and one in three dying from it, it’s clear we’re facing a cervical cancer time bomb.
Many say they can't get convenient appointments to fit around their jobs.
In many surgeries, smear tests are only available at certain times or days, making it difficult for some women to book an appointment.
That’s why #CheersForSmears is calling on GPs to offer more flexible screening times and make testing available outside of office hours and at weekends.
We also want employers to play their part in helping to ensure that their female employees can attend potentially life-saving cervical screenings if they are unable to get an appointment outside of working hours.
Help get your employer involved by emailing info@jostrust.org.uk.
Remember:
- 5,000 women’s lives are saved a year in the UK by cervical screening.
- 3,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year.
- 99.8% of cervical cancer cases are preventable.
- 870 women die every year in the UK from cervical cancer.
- 1 in 142 UK females will be diagnosed with cervical cancer in their lifetime.
- 25-29 years peak rate of cervical cancer cases.
Robert Music, chief executive of Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, previously told The Sun: “Many women are embarrassed to go for a test, or they worry it will be painful, but it only takes five minutes and it could save your life.”
There are 3,200 new cases of cervical cancer detected every year and 870 women a year die from it. But Cancer Research UK says 99.8 per cent of cases are preventable.
MORE ON CERVICAL CANCER
Women are eligible for a smear test from the ages of 25 to 64, every three to five years, and the procedure can save 5,000 lives a year.
The number being tested has fallen across all ages.
Last year, 1.3million women did not attend NHS screenings, meaning incidence rates are predicted to rise by 43 per cent.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368. You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours