A Yale student was diagnosed with cancer after months of pleading with doctors to take her seriously after they claimed she was simply suffering from dehydration and anxiety.
Molly Smith was just 20 years old when she began to feel numbness in her hands and feet.
It was a whole month before she decided to talk to a doctor, as numbness was her only symptom and she didn’t know what could be causing it.
Still, she knew she couldn’t be normal.
“The numbness was so severe that it affected my ability to walk and dance, and I wasn’t sure if I would ever regain any feeling.” Smith told Newsweek.
But the doctor told her she was probably just suffering from dehydration or anxiety.
Molly Smith was just 20 years old when she began to feel numbness in her hands and feet.
She then spent months going from doctor to doctor in an effort to be heard, describing one of her first appointments in an Instagram video.
She tells the doctor in the video that her hands and feet have been numb for the past two weeks and that she brought her mother to the appointment.
But the doctor replies: “That’s very strange, it says here that you don’t have any medical conditions, so you’re in very good health, but maybe you’re just dehydrated.”
Smith then says that an emergency room doctor had already told him he needed to drink more fluids and that he has not seen any improvement in his symptoms.
At that point, the doctor suggests that she might have carpal tunnel syndrome, before saying that the numbness might go away on its own.
Finally, Smith tells the doctor that she would like to be referred to a neurologist so she can follow up with them and run more tests.
Smith was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at the age of 21.
After several months of back-and-forth, Smith had an ultrasound that discovered an ovarian cyst.
But Smith was still told the tumor was “probably benign” and that she should wait three months to see if it went away.
It was not like that, and at the age of 21 she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
She eventually underwent surgery to remove the tumor in January 2023, followed by three rounds of chemotherapy.
Smith detailed the experience In an opinion piece for Yale News, describing how she received ‘sympathetic looks from patients, all much older than me, as I attended my appointments alone’.
Smith eventually underwent surgery to remove the tumor in January 2023, followed by three rounds of chemotherapy.
She also said she lost the ability to dance and make films and that “cancer took away my family’s happiness.”
“Listening to my mother’s cries on the other end of the phone hundreds of miles away was the hardest part,” Smith wrote at the time.
“No patient wants to hear that their child has cancer, especially when they are in another state.”
It was also difficult, she said, to realize that she might lose the ability to have a child before she had even begun to consider starting a family.
But “even when I feel like I’m stuck between worlds, floating in the purgatory of the uncanny valley, my family and friends bring me back.”
Smith has now completed his treatment and is in remission.
She detailed her experience during cancer treatment in an opinion piece for Yale News.
Smith has now completed his treatment and is in remission.
But she wishes the doctors had taken her seriously from the beginning.
“I understand that most doctors would not make the connection between neuropathy and ovarian cancer, but the dismissal of my concerns is unacceptable.”
Neuropathy is not a typical symptom of ovarian cancer, but Dr. Josh Cohen, a board-certified gynecologic oncologist, said it can occur.
The most common symptoms of ovarian cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, include pressure in the pelvic area, abdominal pain, bloating, feeling full quickly and changes in bathroom habits.
The American Cancer Society estimates there will be 19,680 new cases in 2024 and has predicted that 12,740 women will die from cancer.
As with all cancers, risk increases with age, but as medical director of City of Hope Orange County’s gynecologic cancer program, Cohen said early-onset cancer “is on the rise” and medical professionals need to pay attention to patients’ concerns.
“A diagnosis at any age is devastating, but younger people face additional challenges, including preserving fertility, managing employment (and) changes in body image,” she told Newsweek.
To help others in her situation, Smith founded Mission Mariposa, a nonprofit that aims to empower young people and educate them about cancer.
To help others in her situation, Smith founded Mission Mariposa, a nonprofit that aims to empower young people and educate them about cancer.
She said her hope is to raise awareness about the symptoms and encourage people to stand up for their rights.
“They wouldn’t listen to me because I’m young and I have no pre-existing health problems, so I had to beg three doctors to take me seriously,” she told Newsweek.
“I’m so glad I did it because I was lucky enough to catch the cancer when it was stage one.”
Smith is now using her platform to teach others with unexplained symptoms how to take notes, have someone with them at every appointment and get a second opinion.
“The best person to defend your health is yourself,” she said, noting that she followed much of the advice he offered.
‘I took my mother to every appointment and that helped me communicate the severity of the situation. She took notes and I did my research before each appointment.
“I’m very glad I didn’t accept those initial explanations because it would have taken much longer to find the cancer.”
Cohen also said doctors should “focus on listening” because patients “know their bodies best and should trust their instincts.”
If a patient doesn’t feel sufficiently heard, Cohen urges them to seek a second opinion and advocate for their own interests.
