If you thought ovarian cancer could only strike women in their 50s, think again, as this horrifying medical case has proven otherwise. The Brisbane Times reported that 9-year-old Dakota Rose was admitted to hospital in Brisbane when she felt a sharp pain on her side and found a hard lump, revealed to be ovarian cancer.
Doctors operated on the lump, removing as much of the 13 centimetre tumour as they could, but it had already spread through her abdomen. She has since undergone a second blast of chemotherapy to fight the disease.
While ovarian cancer is extremely rare in women under 30, with only 3 percent of sufferers being under 30 according to Ovarian Cancer Australia, Dakota Rose’s particular type of tumour is more common in younger patients.
The good news however, is that when caught early, this type of tumour is easily treatable.
“In terms of survival with chemo it’s actually over 85 per cent for malignant germ cells.” Dr Rick Walker, Dakota’s doctor, told the Brisbane Times.
“The good thing with just paediatric cancers overall is that they tend to be more curable than the adult ones.”
The treatment from her cancer has put a lot of financial stress on her mum and dad, but Dakota’s sister Grace set up a GoFundMe page to help her parents raise the funds. Since Wednesday afternoon, they’ve already raised $15,000!
Other symptoms to be aware of:
Unexplained weight gain or weight loss.
Bleeding in-between periods or after menopause.
Back pain.
Indigestion or nausea.
Excessive fatigue.
Pain during intercourse.
Changes in your bowel habits.
For more info visit Ovarian Cancer, Cancer Australia
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