When Fiona May felt exhausted in her mid-40s, she thought it was related to menopause, but the reality was far more sinister.
The former nurse, who lives near Bunbury in Western Australia, was 44 when she started to put on weight and feel unwell.
"I thought I was going through peri-menopause," she said.
"I had some problems with some bleeding and it got progressively worse.
"I actually looked pregnant," she said.
Ms May was told that she likely had a uterine fibroid, a common benign growth.
It took months of deteriorating health, during which time Ms May became perilously ill several times and needed a total of 14 blood transfusions, before doctors discovered she was suffering from a rare, malignant tumour that had been caused by a failed pregnancy.
Now she is urging women to trust themselves when they feel something is "not quite right".
Collapsed on holiday
When Ms May had initially been reassured that she had nothing to worry about, the busy mum tried to get on with her life.
But her condition rapidly deteriorated while on holiday in Melbourne. She was so ill that she was barely able to climb the stairs. Then she started vomiting and bleeding.
After seeking medical help, Ms May said doctors "panicked" and discovered she had a blood clot on her lungs. Tests showed she was also close to heart failure.
She was immediately transferred to a cardiac ward, where she was given numerous blood transfusions before she was sent home to Perth to recover.
Astonishingly, the cancer wreaking havoc on her body remained undiscovered.
It wasn't until Ms May's health deteriorated again, and she was rushed to hospital, that doctors finally discovered a tumour the size of a basketball in her abdomen.
"It was a rare form of cancer called gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD) … which was caused by a failed pregnancy," she said.
GTD is the name for abnormal cells or tumours that start growing in the uterus from cells that would normally develop into the placenta during pregnancy.
The blood clot on her lung was a side effect of the cancer.
I wasn't worried about me
Ms May said after her diagnosis, her first thoughts were for her family.
"I was just so worried about my family, my husband and my kids and, everyone will laugh, my little dog," she said.
"The things that we get caught up in, you know, I haven't done the washing or mopped the floors, or … even stuff at work — the trivial stuff just disappeared.
"I was just trying to go through the motions of staying alive."
Local support vital
Ms May thanked the Bunbury branch of the Cancer Council, for which she is now an ambassador, ahead of the national annual charity fundraiser, the Biggest Morning Tea on May 25.
"They offered counselling, travel assistance, someone to talk to, that were trained psychologists … just so much support" she said.
"They were my rock."
Life almost back to normal
Nearly three years on, and after surgery and chemotherapy, Ms May said she was well on the road to recovery.
She said she had initially vowed to never let small things worry her again — but found normal life had crept back in.
"When I was sick, I was like, 'Oh, my gosh, I'm never going to worry about [small things] … and I'm going to eat bone broth, and do this and that'.
"But I'm human and we all fall into old traps and tricks, but I try and look after myself and don't take things for granted."
Ms May urged women to talk about their reproductive health and to insist on being taken seriously.
"In my case … I think it could have probably been found a bit earlier, and maybe not come to such a panic," she said.
"So listen to your body and persist."
