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A young Australian woman has spoken out about the time she was diagnosed with stage three ovarian cancer while backpacking around the world.
Tora Murphy had been traveling for four weeks last year when she started feeling bloated while in Southeast Asia.
He didn’t think much of it and thought it might be due to common travel illnesses, like Bali belly.
However, her discomfort persisted as she and her boyfriend, Hewson Perry, continued their trip to Colombia in South America.
“I kind of put it down to the fact that I was obviously drinking and eating a lot of different foods,” Murphy told Daily Mail Australia.
“I literally Googled it and it said that bloating in travelers is very common. So, I didn’t really think about any of that. It was normal swelling and I thought I was gaining weight.
“But it got worse and worse over those few weeks, and I ended up looking like I was about six months pregnant.”
As his symptoms worsened, Murphy realized something serious was happening.
He waited until he arrived in London to check his symptoms. Once there, she went straight to the emergency room, where doctors performed some tests.
Ms Murphy was left in “complete shock” when the doctor returned and “dropped the cancer bomb”, explaining that they had found a cancerous mass in her pelvis.
It was diagnosed as stage three ovarian cancer.
“I was like ‘What do you mean a dough?’ What do you mean cancer? “It didn’t even cross my mind,” Mrs. Murphy said.
‘From there, it was literally like go, go, go. The specialist wanted to see me straight away and I needed to make a decision about where I would receive treatment, London or Australia.’
Just seven weeks into her dream backpacking adventure and after spending ten days in hospital, Ms Murphy flew back to Australia.
Brisbane woman Tora Murphy, 24, was seven weeks into a year-long round-the-world backpacking adventure with her boyfriend when she was diagnosed with stage three ovarian cancer (pictured Tora Murphy and partner Hewson Perry ).
Ms Murphy said she initially thought her bloating symptom was caused by a parasite, traveler’s belly or even Bali belly, as she had traveled to the island earlier on her adventure.
A return to Australia
Once back in Australia, Ms Murphy began treatment at Brisbane’s Mater Hospital.
Doctors explored ways to preserve her fertility, but concluded that she needed a complete hysterectomy and removal of her ovaries due to the advanced stage of her cancer.
Unfortunately, due to how advanced her cancer was, they were unable to retrieve and freeze any of Ms. Murphy’s eggs.
Murphy said she hasn’t fully accepted the surgery, as it took away the option of having children before she had a chance to consider starting a family.
The 24-year-old was diagnosed with stage three ovarian cancer and returned to Australia for treatment. She underwent surgery to remove the 18cm mass in her pelvis and had a full hysterectomy.
“I’ve put it aside a little bit in terms of dealing with it emotionally just because I’m young,” Ms. Murphy said.
‘I can’t even understand it because I wasn’t even at a point in my life to think about children. I was living my best life as a young man and traveling with my boyfriend.
“I will do anything to be healthy and alive, so having my own children was not a priority compared to my own life right now.”
The 24-year-old is nearing the end of her 12-round chemotherapy plan and only has four more rounds of treatment left.
He added that there is a greater chance of recurrence since his cancer was found at such an advanced stage, but he remains hopeful that his disease is curable.
Ms Murphy will have to see her doctors every three months for two years before moving to six-monthly check-ups for another five years.
The regular checks have not discouraged her and her boyfriend from their travel plans, who hope to be stationed in Thailand for three months at the end of the year.
“What gets me through the day is just planning ahead,” Ms. Murphy said.
“Travel will be a little different for me in the future, obviously I won’t be able to go just like that for a year… we’ll do slower trips, like three months at a time.” kind of thing.’
Fortunately, Ms. Murphy has a strong support network to help her on her cancer journey, including her boyfriend, Mr. Perry.
“He’s a sweetheart, the best support ever, like I couldn’t ask for anything better.” “Honestly, I don’t know what I would have done without him,” Ms. Murphy said.
She also encouraged young women to live their lives to the fullest, as “life can change in the blink of an eye.”
‘Live your life to the fullest and do things that make you happy because anything can happen and your life can change in the blink of an eye. “Be grateful for each day and be grateful for your health,” Ms. Murphy said.
‘Ovarian cancer is difficult to detect because the symptoms are very vague. The symptoms don’t make you think, “Oh my God, I have cancer.”
‘But if they continue, it is necessary to defend yourself. If something’s wrong, get yourself checked.’
Using TikTok to reach other young women
The average age of an ovarian cancer patient is 64 years old, making Ms. Murphy one of the youngest patients treated for this disease at Mater.
Murphy said she struggled to find a support group she could relate to, since her type of cancer is predominantly diagnosed in older women.
“The hardest thing for me was finding people I could relate to because all the support groups, like on Facebook, are made up of women 60 and older,” Ms. Murphy said.
“Every time I’ve gone there I think I just don’t feel the vibes here. So it’s a little difficult to relate to someone with my diagnosis because they are always older women.”
Ms. Murphy has documented her cancer journey on TikTok as a way to reach other young women fighting the disease.
Murphy explained that Facebook support groups were often made up of women in their 60s and she had a hard time relating to their stories. She added that her TikTok videos (pictured) have reached other young women who have been diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
The young woman decided to document her cancer journey on TikTok and inadvertently created a support group for a younger generation suffering from ovarian cancer.
“I just wanted to be that person in case someone else was in the same situation as me and I reached out to a few people who found it really helpful and thanked me for sharing the process.”
She urged women to speak up for themselves and see a doctor if they feel something is wrong with their body.
Brisbane’s Mater Hospital (pictured) is the main ovarian cancer treatment and research center in Queensland, treating about 130 women of the 285 diagnosed with the disease in the state each year.
Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month
Ms Murphy is sharing her story for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month in February, a time to shine a spotlight on a disease that claims the lives of approximately 1,000 Australian women each year.
Ovarian cancer is commonly found in women over 50, with around 1,300 Australian women diagnosed each year.
Ovarian cancer is the deadliest gynecological cancer and has a five-year survival rate of 49 percent.
Mater Cancer Care Center senior medical oncologist Dr Catherine Shannon (pictured) said Ms Murphy’s cancer was “extremely rare”.
There is no screening test available for ovarian cancer, meaning most cases are advanced when they are detected.
Mater is one of only three hospital-based centers for the treatment of gynecological cancers in Queensland and treats about 130 ovarian cancer patients a year, just under half of the state’s total annual new cases.
Mater Cancer Care Center senior medical oncologist Dr Catherine Shannon said Ms Murphy’s cancer was unusual.
“Ovarian cancer is largely a disease of older women, but Ms. Murphy has a mucinous subtype that we sometimes see in younger women, although it is extremely rare,” Dr. Shannon said.
‘Tora’s surgery has been successful and she tolerates chemotherapy well. Her case illustrates how vague the symptoms of ovarian cancer are.
‘It is important for all women, of any age, to know the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer, including bloating, pelvic pain and abdominal distension.
“If they experience these symptoms persistently, it is important to see a doctor and have them investigated.”