Jessica Mason, 45, was diagnosed with cervical cancer after her symptoms were attributed to other conditions including IBS for years before a 6.5cm tumour was found
Jessica Mason, 45, shared how her cancer diagnosis changed her life(Image: SWNS)
A mother who repeatedly raised the alarm about unexplained bleeding and pain has launched legal action after doctors allegedly dismissed her symptoms as irritable bowel syndrome – only for her to later be diagnosed with advanced cervical cancer that left her unable to have more children.
Jessica Mason, 45, was told a smear test was clear, yet just six months later she was found to have a cervical tumour measuring 6.5cm, which amounts to roughly the size of a tennis ball. By then, years of missed opportunities to investigate her worsening symptoms had passed.
In the three years leading up to her diagnosis, Jessica had attended countless GP and hospital appointments, reporting heavy bleeding, abdominal pain and swelling. Despite her growing concerns that something was seriously wrong, she says she was repeatedly reassured and sent away with alternative explanations.
At various points, she was told she had irritable bowel syndrome, a prolapse or endometriosis, and was advised to do pelvic floor exercises. It was only after she insisted on an MRI scan that the true cause of her symptoms was finally uncovered.
The diagnosis in June 2022 was devastating. Jessica was forced to undergo months of gruelling chemotherapy, radiotherapy and brachytherapy. She entered early menopause and ultimately had a radical hysterectomy, ending any chance of having more children with her husband, Dan, 43.
Jessica has a 17-year-old son, Teejay, and an 18-year-old stepdaughter, Brooke(Image: SWNS)
Now cancer-free but living with the lifelong consequences of her treatment, Jessica, from Penarth, has instructed lawyers to investigate whether her cancer should have been detected sooner.
She said: “For years I was back and forth to GP appointments or hospital complaining of bleeding and pain. While I knew my body and felt something was wrong, I felt like I had no choice to put my faith in the doctors.
“However, it felt like nothing was really being done to get to the bottom of my symptoms and I often felt like I was being fobbed off.
“It was only when I demanded an MRI that things started to happen.” Stay informed on the latest health news by signing up to our newsletter here
Jessica, who has a 17-year-old son, Teejay, and an 18-year-old stepdaughter, Brooke, said the diagnosis left her struggling to comprehend how her cancer had gone unnoticed for so long.
“Finding out I had cancer was devastating, but what was harder to understand was that I’d been attending medical appointments for years and had received a clear smear test six months earlier.
Jessica went to the GP on several occasions, leading up to her diagnosis(Image: )
“Even now I’m still left wondering how long I’d had cervical cancer for and whether it should have been spotted earlier, especially as my tumour was 6.5 centimetres which is about the size of a tennis ball.”
Despite trying to stay strong for her family, the emotional and physical toll was immense. “I tried to remain as positive as I could for Dan, Teejay, and Brooke, but it was an extremely emotional time,” she said. “The treatment was particularly gruelling and took a physical and psychological toll on me.
“Me and Dan had always discussed having another child but for that to be taken away from us was hard to accept.”
Jessica first sought medical help in March 2019 after experiencing severe bleeding and discomfort. An examination the following month reportedly found her cervix appeared healthy. She returned to her GP twice later that year, in September and October, when she was diagnosed with IBS.
In January 2022, an ultrasound revealed thickening of the uterus, yet she was again reassured after being told her smear test was normal. As her symptoms worsened, she pushed for further investigation, leading to the MRI scan that finally revealed her cancer.
Although she is now free from the disease, Jessica says she continues to live with lasting physical pain, mobility problems and the emotional impact of early menopause.
“When I was ill I rushed and planned my wedding and made a will in case I didn’t survive,” she said. “In some ways I know I’m one of the lucky ones as I’m alive and cancer free, but it’s difficult not to think I wouldn’t have had to go through what I have had I been listened to.
Jessica shared how she and Dan had to rush their wedding, as they were scared “she wouldn’t survive”(Image: SWNS)
“I still live with the mental and physical scars. I’ve got aches and pains and sometimes I can’t walk properly.
“My family and friends have been so supportive and thoughtful, but I feel different to my friends and others my age because of going through the menopause early.
“While I’m cancer free it feels like the impact of cervical cancer on me won’t go away.
“The least I deserve is answers and I just hope that by speaking out and sharing my story I can help other women.”
Jessica has since become a supporter of Claire’s Campaign, a Welsh initiative founded by Claire O’Shea, who died aged 42 last year after her own gynaecological cancer was diagnosed years after she raised concerns with her GP. The campaign highlights how women’s symptoms are too often dismissed and calls for improvements to cancer care in Wales.
Roza Akram, the medical negligence solicitor at Irwin Mitchell representing Jessica, said: “The last few years and coming to terms with her diagnosis and its impact has been incredibly difficult for not only Jessica but her family.
“Understandably she has a number of concerns about her diagnosis and whether more could have been done to prevent her cancer developing, especially as Jessica attended a number of medical appointments in the years before her diagnosis.
“While nothing can makeup for what she’s been through and continues to face, we’re determined to at least provide Jessica with the answers she deserves.”
The NHS lists symptoms of cervical cancer as unusual vaginal bleeding, heavier periods than usual, pain during sex, and discomfort in the lower back, between the hip bones (pelvis), or in the lower abdomen.
Cervical Cancer Prevention Week runs from 19 to 25 January.
A spokesperson for Cardiff and Vale University Health Board said: “We are sorry to hear about Jessica’s experience while in our care and acknowledge the challenges surrounding her cancer diagnosis. As it would be inappropriate to comment on an individual patient case, and due to ongoing legal proceedings, we are unable to comment further.”