Copyright scotsman
Paige McCall, who grew up in Wester Hailes but moved from the Scottish capital to Doncaster, South Yorkshire, last year, was told she had Stage 2 cervical cancer on October 31 - almost two years after she was first alerted by maternity staff at Doncaster Royal Infirmary to an abnormality on her cervix. The 23 year old was first told about the abnormal cells when she was pregnant with her daughter Iris, who was born in July 2024. “I was bleeding throughout my first pregnancy so I was back and forth from the hospital,” said Paige, who works as a care home deputy manager. “They obviously did checks on my cervix and one of the midwives told me that there was an abnormality. “I was in and out of hospital over the next few months and had four midwives tell me the exact same thing. One even told me that when I am tested at 25, my smear test would most likely come back abnormal and I would have to have treatment.” Despite telling hospital staff about her family history of the disease - her gran having died from it and her mother and sister having had to have surgery and treatment to prevent it - Paige was repeatedly told that she would have to wait to be tested until she was 25, the age at which women in the UK are invited for cervical screenings. “It was like it just went in one ear and out the other,” she said. “They were telling me something was wrong but saying they couldn’t do anything to check or help me which was really taking a toll on me and I think my family history of the disease made it weigh really heavily on me because I felt like I just knew. “I just kept wondering why won’t they do anything?” Paige and her partner Lewis, also 23, were forced to put the issue to the back of their minds but it all came rushing back when Paige discovered she was pregnant for the second time just six months after Iris was born. “Again I was bleeding for months and the same thing happened - I was told that my midwife could see an abnormality. “This time I requested to see a doctor and he took a look at it and straight away said that I had to have a biopsy. I am so grateful to him, honestly, because it felt like someone was finally listening to me and taking it seriously.” A smear test was booked for December 12, but after Paige and Lewis welcomed their son Reggie in September this year, they decided they couldn’t wait any longer for the answers they had been so desperate for for so long. “It was constant worry and I couldn’t wait so my partner paid to go private so I could get the test sooner and put our minds at rest,” she said. Paige finally went in for her cervical screening on October 22 and was given the heartbreaking news she had been dreading nine days later. “The doctor said that if I’d waited until I was 25, I would likely have been diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer and given five years to live,” she said. “That means I would be making plans to leave my two children when I was just 30 years old - all because it’s extremely rare for women under 25 to be diagnosed with cervical cancer. But there are still young women out there, like me, that get it and it’s like we’ve just to be brushed aside.” Following her diagnosis, Paige has been for a CT scan and has also had her eggs frozen in the hope that she and Lewis, who is in the army, will be able to have the four children they have always dreamed of. In the coming weeks, she will undergo surgery to have her cervix removed - meaning any future children she carries will have to be delivered by caesarean section - before starting five weeks of chemotherapy. If that treatment proves unsuccessful, she will have to have a full hysterectomy. “I’m only 23 and it feels like a lot to go through and a lot to deal with, for both me and my partner,” she said. “But I’m glad that it’s starting now and I’m trying to remain positive and hope that after my surgery and chemo it will be over. “If it wasn’t for my kids I think I’d be much more consumed by it but my life can’t just stop. I’m a mum and my kids still need love and attention and they need to be fed and bathed and things. It all can’t just stop because of this.” The age at which women are invited for cervical screenings in Scotland rose from 20 to 25 back in 2015 - 11 years after the same change was made in England. But Paige is now campaigning for the cervical screening age to be lowered again across the UK, or at least for there to be early tests available for women who are particularly at risk of the disease. She has launched a petition, which has already gained more than 1,500 signatures. You can view and sign the petition here. “I have so much support and I have finally had this diagnosis but I know there will be so many women in the same position as me who feel like they can’t advocate for themselves,” she said. “The NHS need to look at family history and if young women are having sex and are at risk of cervical cancer, then 100 per cent they should be able to have an early test. It should be a given that those types of risks, which could result in a young woman or mum dying, are checked out.” Lois Mellor, Director of Midwifery at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals, which runs Doncaster Royal Infirmary, said: "I am sorry to hear of Paige’s experience and would welcome the opportunity to understand more about her care and the processes involved, so we can explore whether there were any missed opportunities and where we may be able to improve. “We encourage Paige to contact our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) by emailing dbth.pals.dbh@nhs.net or calling 01302 642764, so that we can listen, learn and provide support directly.” A UK Government Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Our sympathies go out to Paige – anyone who has symptoms should speak to their GP as soon as possible. “We follow the advice of independent experts on screening who advise lowering the screening age would do more harm than good. “The success of the HPV vaccination programme means cervical cancer is becoming very rare in younger women. We are expanding this further through our 10 Year Health Plan to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040.” A Scottish Government spokesperson added: “We are making considerable efforts to increase cervical screening coverage and uptake, alongside early preventative work. “Our HPV vaccination programme is having a very positive impact on our commitment to try to eliminate cervical cancer in Scotland. Research shows there have been no cases of cervical cancer, to date, in fully vaccinated women who were given their first dose of HPV vaccine at ages 12 and 13. “However, we encourage everyone to attend screening when invited – whether they are vaccinated or not. “Guidance over eligibility for screening programmes is informed by the UK National Screening Committee, an independent expert advisory group, but we are continuing to explore what more can be done to achieve elimination.”
