A woman from South Shields has thanked her hero dog for "saving her life" by alerting her to ovarian cancer. Tess Robison says her chihuahua Lola had been acting strangely for weeks and became "more clingy than usual" before jumping on her stomach and causing her quite a bit of pain.
Just days later a lump appeared in the same spot on the 41-year-old hairdresser which prompted Tess to visit her GP. Tess' doctor referred her to A&E where she was diagnosed with stage 3 low-grade serous carcinoma (LGSC) in January 2021.
And Tess says but for Lola's unusual behaviour, which included repeatedly smelling her breath, her rare form of cancer could have gone undetected for far longer. She said on Chronicle Live : "For about ten days in the run-up to Christmas in 2020, Lola just wouldn’t leave me alone and kept smelling my breath at every opportunity.
"She was just staring at me which was not normal. Someone even asked: 'What's wrong with your dog, why is she just staring at you?' I’m convinced she was trying to tell me something, but it was only when she jumped on my tummy that I realised something was wrong.
"Literally two days after she jumped on my stomach, a lump appeared. I thought that's not good, that shouldn't be there so I made an appointment with my doctor. I didn't feel unwell I was just bloated and had a bad back. I looked four months pregnant!"
Tess was told there was a mass in her stomach but doctors were unsure what it was and sent her to Sunderland Royal Hospital and later the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where her lump was diagnosed as stage 3 cancer. She said: "It was a shock. I asked what percentage it was cancer and the doctor said 95%.
"I spoke to my husband and said they've done tests and unfortunately it's ovarian cancer but I will get through it, I will be absolutely fine. My whole mindset from when I first got my diagnosis was I'm going to beat this."
Tess underwent a full hysterectomy in March last year and during the surgery doctors found that the cancer had spread to her bowel. Thankfully, recent tests have confirmed that the surgery and subsequent chemotherapy have been successful – but it’s still a long road back to health for Tess.
She added: "I was told I would be left with scarring but I said that's a small price to pay for my life. The staff at the hospital were just amazing I can't thank them enough."
Now, Tess is living life to the fullest saying she feels "reborn". She said: "The only way I can describe it is I feel reborn. I never used to go out but now I'm doing everything I ever wanted to do. Life is for living and that's what I'm going to do."
But she said this may not have been possible if it wasn't for Lola who told her, in her own way, that something was wrong. Tess said: "I owe my life to Lola because she clearly knew something was wrong, and because of her I was able to seek medical help sooner.
"Lola literally saved my life, I'm so grateful for her. If I had left it any longer I may not be here today."
To help her recuperate from her chemotherapy, Tess is having a relaxing and peaceful outside space built at her home by volunteer landscapers from the charity Band of Builders. Band of Builders completes practical projects to help those in the UK construction industry who are battling illness or injury. For more information or to offer support of any kind, please email info@bandofbuilders.org.
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