A Lincoln cancer "Cervivor" shares her story to raise awareness of the disease
Mum of three, Donna Bradbury has battles with Cervical Cancer since 2020, when she was diagnosed but suffered no common symptoms
Last updated 23rd Jan 2023
39 year old, Donna Bradbury, from Lincoln has shared her cancer journey with us in light of Cervical Cancer Awareness Week in hopes to raise awareness and support
It was in the pandemic that Donna was first told she had cancer, “it was a shock because I didn’t have many symptoms”.
Donna was 37 at the time, and had 3 children. After suffering from irregular bleeding and discharge, she went to her GP and after several tests, nothing came back.
She also told us that she’d never missed a smear test and that they all came back clear:
“I'd been to the doctors a few times before. Originally we thought it might be bacterial vaginosis, so I had some antibiotics and then obviously the irregular bleeding came.
My doctors were great.
It was during covid so I was by myself
I had and went in for swabs, which were clear. I had an internal and external ultrasound, which also came back clear.
“I then had a colposcopy and it was there when it was just a routine check, when I actually got told I had cervical cancer."
Only after Donna had bled again, in an abnormal way to usual, that she ended up going to hospital:
"It was during COVID. So I was by myself.
They asked me if I had anybody around before they told me- so I kind of knew it was not going to be the best news.
"Obviously I sat down after the colposcopy and I said, oh, should I be worried? And they said yes, you've got cervical cancer."
We thought no it can't be
After finding out, alone, that she had a 6cm long tumour in her cervix, that was stage 2B cancer, Donna felt her life was changing before her eyes.
She told us she walked home that day and spoke to her husband:
“In our heads we thought "no, it can't be".
You know, they've said it is, but no, it might be something else'.
But then on the following Monday, it came back that it was cervical cancer, and from that, within a week, I'd had an MRI, a PET scan and blood taken- that's when they found out it was 6cm tumour."
The treatment wore me down
Donna then went through chemotherapy, radiotherapy and brachytherapy, which she told us "this affected me physically and mentally and it was an extremely tough time.
I also had radiation cystitis, which meant I couldn't walk without pain, which was just an awful time."
She said that all the treatment wore her down and made her feel very tired for much of the time she was receiving it. She also said that she’d had many “dark times” but was keeping positive.
Now, as of the beginning of 2023, Donna remains in remission, news that she first heard on the 1st of March 2021.
She says her journey has been “the hardest thing ever".
She’s ambitious now to improve her health overall, and particularly her fitness.
To find out what Donna is up to and to hear more from her, she runs a personal blog on her social media, especially her Instagram which has many stories and personal experiences.
You can find her profile here.
To find out more about Cervical Cancer, use this link to the NHS website.