A 27-year-old woman has spoken out about her harrowing journey learning she had terminal cancer after suffering a severe symptom.
New Zealand woman Paige Suisted has detailed the difficulties she faced coming to terms with a terminal cancer diagnosis.
The 27-year-old revealed one of the early symptoms she was getting and the mixed answers she received from doctors.
Speaking to the Daily Mail Australia, Paige revealed how in April of last year, she was living her life as normal before she realized her fingers were regularly going numb.
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This eventually extended to the right side of her body going numb.
She added that when she went to the doctors, they weren’t exactly clear on what could be happening.
Paige said: “My fingers kind of just stopped working. One said I had a stroke, but didn't even admit me to the hospital. Another said I had Raynaud's disease, and one just put me in a sling. They all told me something completely different.”
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However, after becoming more desperate for answers, Paige got herself admitted to a hospital and had multiple scans to find out what the issue was.
She was then told that she had stage-four astrocytoma, a terminal cancer often found in children.
Doctors discovered a golf ball-sized tumor on her brain, and it pushing on her nerves caused issues on the right side of her body. Paige also added that she was told it was essentially inoperable.
Speaking through the Cancer Society organization, Paige revealed just how devastating this news was and how much it impacted her and her family.
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She said: “It was heartbreaking to be told I’m terminal, and that I’m never going to have kids. Things I’ve always dreamed about happening like getting married, having kids, having a great family home, you know? It just tore me apart...
“But the hardest part is seeing what it is doing to my family. I can see it in their eyes. I can feel that it’s just breaking everyone’s hearts.”
Paige then underwent a series of different treatments, including chemotherapy she detailed on her social media, and her doctors were stunned following a new bout of scans.
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She told the Daily Mail Australia that her brain scans appeared to come back clear.
She told the outlet: “In my last few scans, there's been nothing there. This massive golf ball in my brain … we can't see any of it on the MRIs.”
While doctors haven’t yet officially declared Paige cancer-free, as they would have to perform surgery to make sure there aren’t any remains, this appears to be a massive step forward.
According to a PEOPLE report, professionals have dubbed Paige a ‘medical anomaly’, and she is now doing her best to regain her confidence and independence.
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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.
Gerrard Kaonga