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Hannah Catton was 24 when doctors found a watermelon-sized tumour on her left ovary
Hannah Catton was just 24 when doctors found a watermelon sized tumour on her left ovary months after they sent her home to lose weight when she complained of bloating and fatigue.
The vet nurse, who lives in Warrnambool in country Victoria, but is originally from the UK, is in the clear as far as cancer goes – but her recovery is far from over.
Hannah is speaking out about her ordeal in the hope other women will recognised the signs of ovarian cancer and fight to be heard when they know something is wrong with their body.
The 25-year-old explained to FEMAIL that she has a long way to go mentally – especially when it comes to ‘loving the body that tried to kill her’.
‘I feel like my 20-something-year-old body was stolen from me and replaced with the body of an 80-year-old,’ she said.
‘I have gone through post-menopause weight gain, have fatigue and joint pain and have to come to terms with the fact it just can’t do the things it used to.’
The post-treatment struggles hit Hannah hard – she was so focused on fighting the cancer on her left ovary that she hadn’t stopped to consider what happens next.
‘You go from doing treatments every day to being dropped in post-treatment life, and it’s hard not to feel incredibly alone,’ she said.
‘It just feels a bit like.. what’s next. What do I do next.’
While Hannah is grateful that her body pushed through the treatments, she can’t help but feel betrayed by it.
‘The general consensus out there is that you should be happy to be finished chemo – and you are but it is hard,’ she said.
Hannah went through four months of chemotherapy and surgery to beat the disease
She wants people to know the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer and to feel comfortable to push for answers when they know something is wrong with their body
Hannah went to the doctors in the months before the 20cm tumour was discovered and was initially told she needed to de-stress and lose some weight.
In August 2021, when symptoms persisted, she went back and was told she likely had a benign growth which could be removed to ease her discomfort.
‘I was put on the waiting list and told it would be happy days,’ she said.
Then on a Saturday near the end of October the discomfort turned to crippling pain.
‘I was on a horse ride with friends when I went grey and felt a huge amount of pain,’ she said.
‘It felt like someone was stabbing me, I was so confused by it,’ she added.
Hannah moved to Australia from the UK and described being separated from her family throughout her cancer journey as incredibly isolating
But she had been told nothing was wrong for so long she decided to go home and sleep it off. The pain lasted for seven hours.
It came back the following Tuesday – and was much worse than the day before.
‘It was indescribable,’ she said.
Her boyfriend took her to the emergency department at the small country hospital – two days later she was going under the knife in Melbourne, and being diagnosed with cancer.
‘It was terrifying, especially because of the Covid rules at the time which meant my family couldn’t come over to Australia and I couldn’t have any visitors in hospital with me,’ she said.
Hannah has always wanted a family and was able to have some eggs frozen before going through chemical menopause and starting chemo.
Hannah was horse riding when she felt the tumour rupture days before she was diagnosed with cancer
She is slowly getting back into activities she loves – including aerial gymnastics (pictured) – but says she has to take things slow because her body is ‘like an 80-year-old’s’
‘The menopause was to protect my remaining ovary from the treatment,’ she explained.
She has since been taken off the menopause-inducing drugs and says her ovary ‘appears to be waking up’ which means she may be able to have children naturally after all.
‘At the time it was a long way from my mind, after I had my eggs frozen I just focused on getting better because if I was dead I wouldn’t be having kids anyway,’ she said.
Hannah has been put in contact with two other young women who have had similar cancers in their 20s.
‘Most women who get it are in a later stage of life, they have had families and have that support around them,’ she said.
She is finally back at work fulltime after having to slowly work up to a whole day, then a full week, in the office.
‘I have moved to an admin role though – because I can’t be on my feet all day,’ she added.
Her ‘brain fog’ is also lifting.
Hannah feels like she was robbed of her 20-something body
She said she would often get frustrated by her inability to think through problems – even simple issues like what she needs at the supermarket.
Hannah is ‘jumping at every opportunity’ to tell her story in the hopes it will help other women advocate for their health.
‘It is surprising to me how many women still don’t know the symptoms,’ she said.
‘If I can help other people know the signs and give them the courage to advocate for themselves then it gives purpose to me going through this,’ she said.
Hannah’s cancer came ‘out of the blue’ and wasn’t linked to any genetic disease.
‘If you think something is wrong then keep going back until you find a doctor that will listen. That’s part of their job,’ she said.
‘I didn’t go to the hospital when I had excruciating pain because I had been told there was nothing to worry about and I didn’t want to waste anyone’s time.’
Ovarian Cancer Australia and Black Pepper Campaign
Hannah Catton jumped at the chance to be a part of the campaign
Hannah has put herself out there as one of the four faces of the Black Pepper Ovarian Cancer campaign.
‘There aren’t enough young faces campaigning for this,’ she said.
The campaign showcases the four women modelling Black Pepper clothing including a specially designed scarf and a blouse with a portion of sales going to Ovarian Cancer Australia.
It aims to raise $100,000 in funds to support women with ovarian cancer, which remains Australia’s deadliest female cancer, throughout their diagnosis, treatment and beyond.
Ovarian Cancer Australia CEO Jane Hill says that the funds raised through the partnership will help to ease the ongoing toll that ovarian cancer has on women impacted by the disease, with young women facing a number of unique challenges.
‘Younger women face different challenges with ovarian cancer, which is largely considered an older woman’s disease,’ she said.
‘They can have greater feelings of isolation, and feel that their needs are not being met. They also face challenges around early menopause, the ability to have children, and issues around sexual intimacy, making it an extremely stressful time.’
Black Pepper will donate $10 from the sale of every specially designed scarf and blouse to Ovarian Cancer Australia, aiming to raise $100,000. The cotton scarf will retail for $29.99, and the blouse for $99.99. Pens and ribbons will also be sold in-store during February which is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.
Funds raised will go to Ovarian Cancer Australia to assist in the support of and advocacy for Australians impacted by ovarian cancer, including funding programs such as the Teal Support Program, a free telehealth outreach service supporting women with ovarian cancer throughout their diagnosis and treatment.
The scarf and blouse will be available to shop online and in stores nationally during February.
The campaign focuses on four women with stories to share about ovarian cancer
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