When her belly started growing, Liv Curtis initially feared an unplanned pregnancy and worried whether her family could afford it.
The 35-year-old mother of three got an IUD after having her third child with husband Kevin, and she also thought the abdominal pain she was experiencing might be related.
The constant fatigue, loss of appetite and bloated stomach made her seek advice. The diagnosis affected her deeply.
A 3kg cancerous tumor was discovered, and thus began a cycle of surgeries and therapies that few could endure.
Liv told Femail that she dismissed other complaints, such as pain during sex, frequent urination and exhaustion, as ‘just’ being a busy mom.
‘I had typical womb pains, a bit like a bad period. I had my third child in 2016 and got an IUD. So when I started feeling unwell three years later, I assumed the nagging pains were related to that.
“I thought maybe it had moved or gotten stuck somewhere it shouldn’t have. But I went to the doctor, had a pap smear, and everything seemed fine.”
The disturbing symptoms continued and she started to feel more and more tired, so she had an ultrasound done which found a small cyst on one of her ovaries, which was normal for her age.
Liv Curtis watched her stomach grow for months. She was terrified she was pregnant, but a visit to the doctor revealed she had cancer.
Liv’s symptoms continued during the COVID lockdowns and her exhaustion increased
Her GP suggested she talk to a gastroenterologist or have an endoscopy, but she felt these were options rather than obligations.
“He never told me that he really thought I should do it, so I put it off. I was a working mom with three kids and a commute – I figured that was it. I didn’t need all those extra scans and tests for a small cyst,” Liv said.
‘I thought my GP was overreacting, but I wish he had had a chat with me and said, “Look, it might not be anything serious, but it could be. Let’s rule out some bad things.”
“I never really understood why I was getting these referrals.”
Liv’s symptoms continued during the 2020 COVID lockdowns and her exhaustion worsened.
‘I fell asleep on the couch at 6pm doing nothing but working from home and maybe taking the kids to the park.
‘I got to the point where I couldn’t eat anything at all. I felt full all the time.
“One day my husband Kevin touched my stomach and he said he felt something hard there.”
Despite the IUD, Liv thought she was pregnant.
“My first fear was that I was pregnant again,” Liv says.
“I touched my own belly and it felt quite big. We couldn’t afford a fourth pregnancy, that would have been insane. I was so stressed. I thought it would be the worst thing in the world.”
The subsequent scan showed no baby, but a 3kg mass in her pelvis and abdomen.
Speaking to FEMAIL, the mother of three shared how she shrugged off symptoms such as bloating, pain during sex, frequent urination and exhaustion to act like a busy mum
“I didn’t even know what it was,” Liv recalls.
‘I had all my smears and injections when I was 12. I thought I was covered for women’s cancer.’
She traveled from the Central Coast to Sydney to gynecologist who helped her give birth to her children.
‘After another ultrasound, they took me to the silent room, every patient’s worst nightmare. That’s where they tell you something is wrong.’
When the words came – ovarian cancer – Liv’s world began to collapse around her.
“I felt like I fell off a cliff,” Liv said.
“I felt like everything just became white noise. My husband and I just sat there holding hands and sobbing. I may have even fallen to the floor.”
She added: ‘When something like this happens, you don’t think about yourself. You only think about your children. What will happen to them?
“It’s really about being afraid of dying. It’s about being afraid of not doing your job, of not being a mother anymore.”
The enormous size of the tumor made the chances of a successful operation less likely, but Liv consulted a gynecological surgeon who spoke words that ultimately saved her life: “I have some friends and I think we can do it together. [the tumour] out.’
The cancer was low-grade and had been growing in Liv for 18 months.
Liv said she sat with her husband and cried after the preliminary diagnosis
In late June 2020, she underwent surgery and a radical hysterectomy, and parts of her bowel were removed.
‘I was kept asleep all night and put on a ventilator because the doctors said it was one of the biggest operations they had ever done. There were very few surgeons willing to do the operation.
“I was incredibly lucky to come across this group of surgeons because not all women get this treatment. Many women are told they can’t have surgery.”
The surgeons removed most of the tumor, but not all of it. She still needed chemotherapy for the rest.
She underwent six intensive chemotherapy treatments over a period of 21 days and was finished in November 2020.
“Before I had the major surgery, I told my children there was a monster inside me,” the mother recalls.
“I said we should get it out, and we made a joke that it just wasn’t wanted, it wasn’t needed, and we threw it out. We laughed about it.
‘When I had recovered enough from the surgery, we sat down at the table a week before I started chemo. I had to tell them about my hair loss and that it was because I wanted to prevent the monster from coming back.’
Liv received six rounds of intensive chemotherapy every 21 days and finished in November 2020.
Liv was exhausted after each chemotherapy treatment and had to stay in bed for up to 10 days afterwards.
Her husband Kevin took seven months off work to care for her and Liv’s parents also moved in with her temporarily and helped with the housework.
The mother suffered two relapses after initially being cancer-free following chemotherapy.
“A few months later I had a relapse and had to have another surgery. The surgeons took out all the cancer and a little bit more of my bowel. They were happy that there was nothing left, but my cancer markers started to rise about six to 10 months later.”
Further scans revealed that part of the tumor was behind Liv’s belly button. A third surgery was needed.
“They couldn’t get it all out during the third surgery. They had to leave a little bit because if they kept going, they wouldn’t have been able to stitch me up.”
Liv said her friends were her ‘village’ during her diagnosis and treatment
When Liv was first diagnosed with cancer, she decided to involve all of her friends and family instead of fighting the battle alone. She discovered how many people cared about her.
“I told everyone. I sent messages and said I was going to get better and I needed their help to get there.
“Or I said I wasn’t going to get better and that I needed them to take care of my babies and Kevin.”
Then the flood of flowers, baskets, chocolates, donuts and more began.
“We were in lockdown so they couldn’t come visit, but they did things all the time to keep my spirits up. A friend of mine came over once with three pizzas for our family for dinner.
“I felt incredibly supported. People showed up to pick up my kids and take them to sports practices and school, and brought us groceries. The whole community came together for us.”
Liv used her experience to help other women with ovarian cancer, especially by pursuing the best possible treatment rather than accepting what seemed inevitable.
“The Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation (OCRF) doesn’t have the prominence of Pink Ribbon, so I just want women to be aware of their symptoms and I want them to advocate for themselves. There’s not the same level of care everywhere.
“If you are told that you cannot have surgery, ask for a second or third opinion. If you feel that you are not being taken seriously, you need to be tougher and stand up for yourself.
“I’ve been very lucky at all stages of my treatment, but I’ve spoken to so many women who haven’t had this experience.”