A brave and courageous young Irish woman has received great praise after she shared her cancer story in order to raise awareness amongst young women.
The woman named Heather Keating, from Cashel Co. Tipperary, has took to social media to tell her tragic story of how she was diagnosed with cervical cancer at the tender age of 24. A brave an understandably emotional Heather told her followers that because she was only 24 she was not entitled to a free smear until the following year, that medical ruling resulted in the early cell changes in Heather’s cervix not being detected. However a determined Heather, said she strongly pushed doctors about the issue when she felt something wasn’t right, which resulted in her cancer being found before it spread from her cervix.
Thankfully after having major surgery to remove the cancerous mass, the Tipperary native revealed that she is now cancer free. Heather’s brave and touching Facebook post has since been shared more than 3,000 times, and she hopes that by sharing her story young women will check for symptoms that can easily be missed.
Heather’s moving post states: “I want to share my story so that there is more awareness around cervix cancer. “If you’re over 25 please go for your smear tests. Make time for it! They are so important. I wish I had the opportunity to have caught the cell changes before it became cancerous. “If you are under 25 and feel something is not right please go and get it check out with your GP. “The symptoms include: Abnormal bleeding, heavy or longer periods, bleeding between periods, bleeding after sex or after menopause, Foul smelling discharge, and pain or discomfort in the pelvis during sex.
The courageous young woman added: “The more this is shared the more awareness it will create and hopefully more people will have caught it in time or before it even begins!”