A young mum was told she had "nothing to worry about" just weeks before she was given a devastating cancer diagnosis.
Elizabeth Ham, 34, received her operation date on Christmas Eve after doctors had found she had cervical cancer.
Her previous smear tests were given the all clear, so she was left shocked and stunned after another routine appointment in November 2020.
A week after the check-up, she received a phone call to attend St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospital in Prescot, Merseyside, for a coloscopy appointment, with a letter then informing her that high risk cells had been found.
Mum Elizabeth then attended Whiston Hospital for an MRI scan, full bloods and a chest X-ray, the Liverpool Echo reports.
She was told she had cervical cancer in what was a devastating blow.
Elizabeth had a rare cancer called adenocarcinoma, but attending her screening appointment enabled the cancer to be found quickly and therefore treated promptly before developing any symptoms.
Elizabeth said: "When I received the initial call, alarm bells started to ring and then I got the letter, my appointment was already made so when I attended, I had the Lletz treatment were the abnormal cells were removed.
"It all happened very fast, I was seen at different hospitals. When I received my diagnosis, I was then referred to the Liverpool Women’s Hospital for my treatment plan and preop."
A couple of days before Christmas 2020, Elizabeth had her appointment with consultant Mohammed Otify at Liverpool Women’s Hospital, where he went through her treatment which would involve a radical hysterectomy to remove all cells.
On Christmas Eve, she received her operation date for January 2021.
She is now urging other people to attend their smear tests, even if they are confident nothing is wrong. She said because of her test, she is "grateful" to be here.
"The operation was a success, a week later I received the all clear and I now attend the women’s every four months for a check up," said Elizabeth.
"I was lucky to have Mr Otify, he explained everything and put me at ease.
"I would urge everyone to attend for screening, I had no symptoms and all my previous smears had been clear, I had nothing to worry about but you never know what is going on inside your own body."
Mohamed Otify, Consultant Gynaecological Oncology Surgeon at Liverpool Women’s Hospital, added: "Cervical cancer is preventable and detectable, unlike some other female gynaecological cancers a cervical smear, a screening test, can help with early detection.
"I looked after Elizabeth throughout her treatment journey and followed up with her after her successful surgical outcome. Elizabeth’s story illustrates how vital it is to attend a cervical smear. If you catch it early, there are many different ways to treat it."
