Mom put her bad body odor down to being tired - it was actually a symptom of cancer

When a mom 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 real issue.

Maria Schenkel became aware of her smell, which went on for weeks, but believed it was thanks to her being ‘tired’ and running around two 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.

“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 cancer.

Maria Schenkel says she ignored the signs because she was busy being a mom (SWNS)

“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 her was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma just weeks later.

Maria explained that her body odor was the first sign (SWNS)

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.

She said: “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.

“If something doesn’t feel right, in your body, or with the results or solutions they give you, ask questions,” she said.

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