Daniella Dominie was only 33 when doctors told her she had cervical cancer and that she needed a hysterectomy to get rid of it for good.
It all started with her routine Pap test. Daniella’s doctor saw that there was some bleeding and because she was not having her period, she sent her to a gynecologist.
Daniella wasn’t concerned until the specialist spoke from between her legs, looking at her cervix through the speculum.
“It’s big and ugly,” the doctor said of a cyst-like mass on top of her cervix.
Her stomach collapsed, but at the time she had no idea that the ‘cyst’ was actually cancer.
Daniella Dominie was only 33 when doctors told her she had cervical cancer and she needed a hysterectomy to get rid of it for good
Daniella proposed during a family vacation two weeks before she was diagnosed with cancer
She came home, took a shower and fell to the floor in tears.
“At that point I told myself I wasn’t going to have any more children, I was devastated,” she said.
Her daughters were only three and five at the time and Daniella felt ready to have another baby. In fact, she always dreamed of having four children.
The days that followed are all a blur. Within two weeks, the energetic mom was diagnosed with stage 1B cervical cancer and had a full hysterectomy, sending her into menopause overnight and confined to her bed for months.
Daniella remembers the oncologist breaking the news and recommending a radical hysterectomy.
“She asked me if I had children, if I was happy,” Daniella said.
“And I was.”
‘I asked if I was going to die, she told me I wasn’t, but she was concerned about my quality of life after treatment. “I should have asked more questions,” she said.
The massive surgery changed Daniella completely.
Daniella, pictured recently, feared she would die after doctors said she had cancer
She lost her endless drive and her love for organizing.
“I used to be the mom who planned birthday parties a year in advance,” she says. “Now I do everything at the last minute.”
Her body also changed when menopause began overnight, and she spent months figuring out the right amount of hormone replacement medications to take to keep her symptoms from dominating her life.
She became more short-tempered and impatient, feeling devastated every time her children wanted her to pick them up.
“They were too small to understand,” she said.
Daniella’s doctor operated quickly, leaving no time for her to have eggs harvested or frozen.
‘She said she could cure me, but wanted to act quickly because if it spread, especially to my ovaries, I would be gone.’
Daniella has since made peace with the fact that she no longer has children.
Daniella always wanted four children, but is grateful she was able to have two before she was diagnosed with cancer
She underwent a radical hysterectomy to remove all her reproductive organs to limit the chance of the disease returning
And the doctors have told her that it is incredibly lucky that she had not already become pregnant with number three.
“They said if I had missed that check-up and been pregnant, I would have had to make some tough decisions later,” she said.
It would mean she had to choose between her own life and that of her unborn baby.
It’s been six years since the “big, ugly” tumor at the edge of the mother’s cervix was noticed, and she has spent most of that time advocating for women and reminding them to do it on time every time. had to have it checked.
“I am living proof that early detection saves lives,” she said.
In fact, her campaign has helped women in her area.
“So many cousins and friends went in and had their swab tests done, it was a huge shock for everyone,” she said.
“People were messaging me and thanking me for my warning because pre-cancerous cells were showing up in their tests,” she said.
Daniella says she has reached the point in her recovery where she feels happy and healthy.
And although she has a scar that reminds her of her ordeal, it looks like a C-section and doesn’t bother her.
‘Sometimes I get sad and wonder if and when the cancer will come back. And it was hard for a long time, but I have my life and I have my two girls,” she said.
Daniella is now working with the Australian Cervical Cancer Foundation, an organization she says helped her through her diagnosis and recovery.
She wants people to take five minutes every five years to keep up with their screenings.
It is expected that 961 people in Australia will be diagnosed with cervical cancer this year; many of them will be between 30 and 44 years old.
Adjunct Professor Annabelle Farnsworth, a leading expert in cervical cancer and ambassador for Pathology Awareness Australia, echoes Daniella’s message that early detection saves lives.
She says she wouldn’t be alive today if she hadn’t been so obsessed with being organized
She explained that even women who have had the HPV vaccine are at risk, emphasizing that it is a disease of young women.
‘This is largely because the vaccine only covers some of the virus types associated with the development of cervical disease. The very first cervical HPV vaccine introduced in 2007 included four of the virus subtypes,” she explained.
‘A vaccine with nine subtypes was introduced in 2018. “In addition, Australia’s National Cancer Screening Program, together with the World Health Organization, recommends that people with cervical cancer should continue to screen even if they have been fully vaccinated.”
Adj Professor Farnsworth warns that cervical cancer mainly affects women who have not had regular screenings. About 70 percent of cervical cancer cases occur in people who have never been screened.
Daniella had no cancer symptoms before her diagnosis.