Helpless

Three years ago this week we were told the devastating news that our beautiful daughter was going to die, they could do no more for her. She was 23 years old for god's sake, too young to die, she had her whole life ahead of her, so much to live for, so much to give. I've never really spoke openly about this before, how I felt when we heard those words. You don't feel anything at first, you go numb it's not real, it's not happening to you, they are talking to someone else, it can't be us surely? The world is spinning round, I feel sick, I can hear Claire crying saying 'No, my girls, what about my girls?' I want to help her, to make it better for her, but I can't. I'm helpless, totally helpless, I cannot give her a hug and kiss like mums do and make the pain go away, nothing I can do can make any difference now. My beautiful brave daughter is dying and I can't do a thing to help her.

I put my arms around her, try to soothe her, I don't know what to say. I want to say it will be alright, just like she said to me when they couldn't do the first operation, but it won't be alright this time. I just sit there with her and we sob together for what seems like hours. From that minute I hardly ever left Claire's side, I was with her 24/7, every single moment with her was precious, so very precious, just once over the next few weeks I left her side for just 48 hours where I had no choice in the matter. That was the worst 48 hours ever.

If my Claire had been given a smear test at 20 I would not be sitting here writing this today, I would be off out having Sunday lunch with her and her gorgeous little girls. Instead I sit here gazing into the sky thinking is she up there, can she see me? I spend most of my life now just gazing out of the window, deep in thought thinking about the past and wondering what life would be like if Claire was still here. I try to picture her sitting on the clouds waving down at me. What I would give to just see her one more time, to tell her how much I love her, to put my arms around her, to hear her say 'Hiya mum what you up too?' I miss her so so much, the pain today feels worse than the day she fell asleep and left our lives forever.

For you Claireabell my beautiful brave angel. Sweet dreams xxxxxx

Gynaecologist won't let his daughters wait for smears

An expert in gynaecology has said he won't let his daughters wait until they are 25 before they can have a smear test.

Consultant Gynaecologist Paul Carter has seen many cases of cervical cancer that could have been prevented had they been detected earlier in a cervical screening:

"I have three daughters and I certainly won't leave it to 25 for them to have their first smear. Fewer than 60 women develop cancer under the age of 25 each year, but it is still too many.

"Many doctors – myself included – believe that the starting age for smears in England should be lowered, as teenagers become sexually active earlier."

Read the full article from the Daily Mail here.

Dr Hilary says money IS a factor

TV's Dr Hilary Jones said on live TV this morning that women under 25 are not screened due to money.

ITV's Daybreak had a feature about the new home testing kit for certain strands of the HPV virus that can lead to cervical cancer, and Dr Hilary was asked why under 25s weren't routinely screened any more:

"The point is that cervical cancer in someone aged under 25 is really very very rare - thankfully. 

"If we were to roll out the screening programme to all women under that age we're talking millions and millions of pounds, and there has to be a cut off point with screening where you say 'Is that money well spent? Should we be screening at a younger age?' 

"In some countries they do, in the UK the government have decided that it's not cost effective to do it. Now that's a debate to be had, but we would pick up very few women under that age."

You can watch the video and check out Daybreak's Cervical Cancer information page here.

Screening attendance has dropped again

Cervical screenings are a proven way to prevent cervical cancer but hundreds of thousands of women ignore their invitations each year.
The publicity surrounding Jade Goody's illness and death in 2009 persuaded more than 300,000 more women to go to their screening that year.

But this year the number of women attending dropped again.

The Details

From 2002 to 2008:

• The percentage of women aged 25 to 49 who had been screened in the last three years fell from 71.7% to 69.3%
• In women under 35 the percentage screened dropped most dramatically from 68% to just 63%
  

Between 2008 and 2009:

• The number of women of all ages having cervical screening increased to 3.7 million from 3.4 million the year before - an increase of 10.5% (around 353,000 people)
• The three yearly coverage in women aged 25 to 49 years old reached 72.5 per cent
• The five year coverage of women aged 25 to 64 was 78.9 per cent
• The majority of this increase was in women aged 25 to 49
  

2011:

• National reports say that the number of women attending has dropped again
  

Here are some links to recent news articles to show you how important it is to go to your screening

Female First says 20% Of UK women still don't attend smear tests

The Telegraph talks about women 'making excuses' to avoid cervical cancer smear tests

This Is Leicestershire says 1,500 fewer women attended this year in their area

Net Doctor say nearly two-fifths of women they polled said they had missed or delayed appointments because it was difficult to get out of work, while 35% of those who didn't go said they'd be more likely to if GP surgeries had more flexible opening times

Scotland TV reports that 1 in 5 women in Scotland are not going either this year

Cancer Research found that older women are too embarrassed to go for smear tests, and fear pain, while younger women say they are too busy

Attending your screening is the most effective way of preventing cervical cancer, and the majority of those who do develop the disease had not attended their smear tests or follow ups, like Jade Goody.

Interview with TV's Dr Chris Steele

Dr Chris Steele has been at the forefront of many medical-related campaigns, not least of which is the campaign to get the age of cervical screenings lowered.


He's a celebrity GP who's been the 'resident' doctor of ITV's This Morning since 1988 and was awarded with an MBE in 2008.

He says his privileged position means he can make a difference and this means a lot to him.

The decision made in 2003 to lower the age of screenings angered him and he's been fighting ever since to change it back.

Dr Chris' campaign links:

• Campaign page and video
• The Twitition - a petition on Twitter
• Facebook Discussion

We met up with Dr Chris to chat about his feelings about the age of cervical screenings

Listen below for the full interview clips.


*Click 'Read More' on the left or HERE to listen*

Common Symptoms of Cervical Cancer

There are usually no symptoms with abnormal cells (in their pre-cancerous state) and sometimes no symptoms with early stage cervical cancer. However, there are some recognised symptoms associated with the disease. These include:

• Abnormal bleeding: after or during sexual intercourse, or between periods
• Post menopausal bleeding, if you are not on HRT (hormone replacement therapy) or have stopped it for six weeks
• Unusual and/or unpleasant vaginal discharge
• Discomfort or pain during sex
• Lower back pain

If you are experiencing any or all of these symptoms or are concerned about any new symptom you should make an appointment to see your GP as soon as possible. Remember, these symptoms can be associated with many other conditions that are not cancer related.

Not all women diagnosed with cervical cancer experienced symptoms - this means attending regular cervical screening is even more important.

As cancer develops, it can cause further symptoms:

• Frequency of urine
• Blood in the urine
• Rectal bleeding
• Diarrhoea
• Incontinence
• Lower limb lymphoedema

Facts and Figures

Cervical Cancer

* In the UK cervical cancer is the 2nd most common cancer in women under 35 after breast cancer


* Almost 1,000 women die of cervical cancer each year


* Around 7 to 10 of those are under 25


* 7% of cervical cancer deaths each year are in women under 35


* Around 2,800 women a year are diagnosed with cervical cancer


* And around 60 girls under 25 are diagnosed each year

Cervical Screenings

* Up to 4,500 lives are saved every year from cervical screenings


* 4 million women are invited for a screening each year


* 1 in 5 women never go their screenings


* 1 in 20 cervical screenings will show changes in cells, but most of these will not lead to cancer


* Early detection and treatment can prevent up to 75% of cervical cancers from developing


* Not going to screenings is the biggest risk factor for getting cervical cancer


* Cervical cancer rates have halved since the 1980s due to the screening programme

Human Papillomavirus (HPV)

* 99.7% of cervical cancer cases are caused by persistent infection of HPV, transmitted through sex.


* Up to 80% of people will be infected with HPV in their lifetime (through skin to skin contact in the genital area), but for most women this will never lead to cervical cancer.


* The HPV vaccine can prevent up to 70% of cervical cancers