Rosie May was told she had a cyst. It turned out to be a rare cancer

Rosie May Fisher can't remember when she first noticed a pea-sized lump on her left palm.

The painless mass had been there for around 12 years, the 32-year-old single mother said.

When she asked her GP to check it she was sent for scans which came back clear - twice.

She was told it was probably just a cyst.

But a few years later, after the birth of her son Bobby, the lump began to hurt.

Fisher, a hairdresser who lives on the Gold Coast but is from Merimbula in NSW, was worried.

"I started back at work and it started to get in the way, driving was difficult, it would hurt if I banged it," Fisher told 9news.com.au

She returned to her local doctor and asked for it to be removed.

The doctor agreed, and without further tests she was put on a surgery waiting list for Gold Coast Hospital.

Single mother Rosie Fisher, 32, can't remember when she first noticed a pea-sized lump on her left palm.

Long wait for surgery

After waiting for a year she finally had the operation in October of last year, leaving her with a huge cast on her arm.

But a week later when she returned to have her dressing changed she was given a sudden update.

"My surgeon came in with a really serious face and said, 'we need to have a chat, it's something quite serious, take a deep breath," Fisher said.

Fisher was told the lump was a rare form of cancer called epithelioid sarcoma which grows in soft tissue.

"I was in shock," Fisher said.

"I was looking at her thinking 'am I in the right room?"

Tests to see how disease had spread

Fisher had more tests to see if the cancer spread anywhere else in her body.

It hadn't, but she needed more of her hand removed by medics at Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane to ensure they removed all of the tumour.

"The specialist said his job was to remove the cancer. He said the only reliable way to do that is to amputate your middle and ring finger, so it doesn't spread," Fisher said.

The surgery was carried out on December 1.

Sign up here to receive our daily newsletters and breaking news alerts, sent straight to your inbox.

It has put an end to Fisher's hairdressing career, and she's having counselling to help her deal with the loss of part of her hand.

"Hairdressing is out of the picture, my beloved career that I've worked so hard for," she said.

"Everyday tasks are just challenging, annoying, the appearance is awful to me,"

But she said losing her fingers was a "sacrifice" she needed to make so she can be around for Bobby.

"It's not ideal but it's better than the alternative," she said.

She is now having regular checks as the cancer has a high re-occurrence rate she was told.

Push for better diagnosis of rare cancers

Fisher has been supported by charity Rare Cancers Australia.

It defines a rare cancer as a unusual type of the disease seen in few people, a cancer diagnosed in patients outside the usual age bracket, as well as a common cancer in an unexpected location.

One in three cancer diagnoses in Australia are rare or less common, and they contribute to over half of all cancer deaths, the charity says.

It is pushing for earlier diagnosis for rare cancers which affect around 52,000 Aussies a year.

Richard Vine from the charity said a late diagnosis, like the one Fisher experienced, is a huge issue for many patients.

"We talk about 90 per cent survival rate for breast cancer, melanoma, and prostate cancer, that's because we find them early," Vine told 9news.com.au.

"With the less common cancers we are not finding them until it's too late."

June is National Rare Cancers Awareness Month.

Do you have a story? Contact journalist Sarah Swain at sswain@nine.com.au

Source: https://ift.tt/ynEJx8g

All About World 365

Search This Blog