I was diagnosed with cancer 6 weeks before giving birth

A mother who was diagnosed with cancer at 23 has revealed doctors initially put her symptoms down to being pregnant. 

Poppy Brown, now 28, from Sussex, was diagnosed with an atypical Ewing sarcoma – a type of primary bone cancer – in April 2019 when she was 34 weeks pregnant with her daughter Bella. 

She found a lump on her jaw and was experiencing headaches and tiredness but after visiting the doctor multiple times, she was assured she was just experiencing common pregnancy symptoms. 

Speaking to FEMAIL, she revealed she actually felt ‘relieved’ when she finally received her diagnosis, after trying for months to get doctors to pay attention to her symptoms. 

She said: ‘Before I was diagnosed, I was working abroad without a care in the world. I met my partner Tom while I was out there and quite quickly after we met, I fell pregnant and it just felt right. We moved back to the UK and I thought we would live a nice, normal family life.

‘I wasn’t even aware that you could get cancer in your bones or soft tissue until I was diagnosed.

‘I believed up until my diagnosis that there was no way it could’ve been cancer as I was only 23. I thought it was just a really rough pregnancy.

‘As strange as it sounds, it was such a relief when I was diagnosed. I had to fight to get someone to believe me. 

‘As a pregnant person, I was made to feel like I was being a nuisance. It was relief that I wasn’t crazy. I was 34 weeks pregnant at this point.’

Poppy began chemotherapy three weeks after giving birth to her daughter, Bella. 

Sarcomas are rare cancers that occur in the supporting issues of the body, which include bone, cartilage, tendons, fat and muscle. 

Unusually, it is most common in teenagers and young adults. 

Symptoms include swelling and the area becoming painful when touched. 

Poppy’s own symptoms began in November 2018 when she was about 12 weeks pregnant. 

She began to get intense headaches, despite never experiencing them before – but doctors put it down to her pregnancy. 

In January, when she was around five months pregnant, she found a lump on her jaw, which she assumed was a wisdom tooth. 

Poppy continued: ‘I then started to experience nose bleeds and fatigue alongside the headaches, but the doctors just said were common pregnancy symptoms. 

‘Soon after, I found a spot inside my nose. It kept growing bigger and soon it was blocking off my airway inside. At first, doctors didn’t know what the growth was.’ 

Poppy visited the GP multiple times about the growth in her nose before being referred to an ENT consultant.

Poppy said: ‘I thought this would be when I got all the answers, but they had no idea what it was. I had a biopsy and had to wait around six weeks until they found out what it was. I went to A&E a few times as I was so unwell and I was always made to feel that I just wasn’t coping with pregnancy and ‘only had a headache and to take paracetamol.’

‘I would try and google my symptoms with the growth in my nose and the most common answer was polyps. Nose cancer came up but that was more common for men older than 60.

‘After a biopsy, they diagnosed me with cancer.’

Poppy was treated on the Teenage Cancer Trust unit at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester. Both units are dedicated to 16–24-year-olds, to champion the needs of young people with cancer and to provide specialist expertise and care.

Despite spending over 150 nights in hospital and experiencing horrific side effects from the treatment, such as mouth ulcers and feeling sick and tired, Poppy still tried to keep as much normality as possible and hosted a baby shower. 

‘There’s no good time to have cancer, but I am glad I was treated on a Teenage Cancer Trust Unit and not an adult unit. I got such amazing support. 

‘I had my mum, my partner Tom and daughter, Bella, at my side too. We were an A-team really. Having Bella there was a reason to get up. She was the reason to get through treatment and to smile. She saved my life.’

Poppy was given the all clear in February 2020 and has recently been given a four year post-treatment all clear, with check ups every six months. She is living happily in Sussex with Tom and Bella.

Poppy is sharing her story as part of Teenage Cancer Trust’s World Cancer Day campaign for signs and symptoms awareness.

The five most common signs of cancer are lumps, bumps and swellings, unexplained tiredness, mole changes, persistent pain and weight change.

In a new Teenage Cancer Trust survey, commissioned ahead of World Cancer Day, only 17 per cent of 13-24-year-olds knew all five of the main warning signs of cancer in young people.

She said: ‘Out of the five most common signs of cancer, I thought two of my symptoms were linked to cancer, lumps and changes of moles. It’s ironic that I actually found a lump and cancer never crossed my mind, I thought I was having problems with my wisdom tooth. 

‘I would encourage other young people to be persistent if you spot any changes in your body – you know yourself so trust your gut and get checked out.’

Dr Louise Soanes, Chief Nurse at Teenage Cancer Trust, said: ‘These symptoms don’t necessarily mean that you have cancer, but it is really important to get checked out if you notice these changes in your body – especially if they last for a while and you can’t explain them.’

Louise added: ‘It’s normal to feel nervous before speaking to a doctor or a nurse – if you don’t feel that you can make the first step on your own, it can be a good idea to speak to someone you trust first.

‘There are things that you can do to help to prepare for a doctor’s appointment such as writing down your questions beforehand, making a list of your symptoms and when you started to feel unwell, taking someone with you to the appointment, and being aware that you can ask doctors to explain something in a different way if you don’t understand, or even ask for another doctor to speak to you.’

To find out more, visit: teenagecancertrust.org/5signs