Mom put her bad body odor down to being tired - it was actually a symptom of cancer
When a woman began to experience what she thought was a hygiene issue, she put it down to her busy days, but she couldn’t have imagined the heartbreaking reality.
Maria Schenkel, 41, noticed the smell, which lasted for weeks, but believed it was because she was ‘tired’ and running around with her children.
However, when even scrubbing herself didn’t stop the problem, the Greenville, South Carolina mom said she was worried about the cause.
Maria said: “I remember thinking, ‘Why do I smell so bad?’, because I would have just showered, not sweat at all and then smell so BO.
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“But because I was busy working and raising a family, I ignored it all.”
That was until other symptoms began showing up, and then one incident with her four-year-old exposed the truth - Maria had breast cancer.
“I would wake up feeling like a bus had run over me,” she said of her symptoms, revealing that soon, her ‘legs felt incredibly heavy and I’d had eight or nine hours’ sleep, but I still felt exhausted’.
“I honestly thought that was just what turning 40 felt like,” the mom explained.
Among the fatigue and smell, she said she also 'bruised really easily’ and ‘had this constant tightness in my chest that made me think I needed to stretch more or maybe see a chiropractor because I assumed it was coming from my back’.
Then there was restlessness.
Maria shared: “If I sat in the sun, I couldn’t stay there, I always felt like I had to get up and be doing something. I just told myself I was a tired young mom.”
Scarily, she revealed she had 'neglected myself because I was focused on providing for my family'.
But in August 2024 her four-year-old accidentally pressed against her breast, and when the spot continued to be sore, she booked an appointment to check it out to be on the safe side.
But it was because of this that she was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma, a form of breast cancer, just weeks later.
Maria said: “I thought it was just dense breast tissue. I really didn’t think it would be cancer, but I thought I should get it checked anyway.”
After her diagnosis, she revealed that it was a hard pill to swallow because of her ‘healthy lifestyle’ and lack of familial history involving cancer.
Maria admitted: “It came as a complete shock.”
Now, it has been almost two years since she was diagnosed and she hopes others will get checked if they feel like anything is off.
Maria added: “I've met a lot of people through this journey who said they ignored symptoms because they were busy looking after everyone else.
“Don't assume you're overreacting.
“If something keeps bothering you or doesn't feel normal, get it checked.
“Listening to your body could make all the difference.”
According to Breast Cancer Now, patients with the disease can experience a bad odour due to a condition called fungating breast wounds.
The charity explains: "A fungating breast wound happens when cancer cells damage the healthy cells and blood vessels in the breast.
"This causes a breast cancer tumour to break through the skin of the breast or chest."
What are the symptoms of breast cancer?
According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms of breast cancer include:
- A breast lump or thickened area of skin that feels different from the surrounding tissue
- A nipple that looks flattened or turns inward
- Changes in the color of the breast skin
- Change in the size, shape, or appearance of a breast
- Changes to the skin over the breast, such as dimpling or skin that looks like an orange peel
- Peeling, scaling, crusting or flaking of the skin on the breast
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the American Cancer Society on 1-800-227-2345 or via their live chat feature, available 24/7 every day of the year.
Topics: Breast cancer, Cancer, US News, Health
Britt Jones