CLEMMONS, N.C. — Nearly 100,000 women are diagnosed with gynecological cancer each year, with annual 30,000 deaths.
36-year-old Katie Warren of Clemmons is living out one of her lifelong dreams—to be a mother.
“I've been married now 11 years to my husband Will and we have adopted two kiddos, Wilson and Parker,” Warren said. “Wilson is almost six and Parker is three."
The diagnosis
Getting to this point didn't come easy. In 2012, Warren was diagnosed with epithelial ovarian cancer at just 25 years old. The diagnosis led to a complete hysterectomy that prevented her from having kids of her own.
“It was definitely difficult, especially just being the age that I am,” Warren said. “I have three sisters, two of them were already having kids. Co-workers were having kids. So, it was hard.
Building a family
Warren said she and her husband were denied the option to adopt by many agencies that felt her health was a risk. Leaning on her faith, as well as a treatment plan developed by her doctor, led to an open adoption of her two children.
“They know about my cancer and then when Wilson was about two years old, we got a call saying that our kids' birth mom was pregnant again and wanted us to adopt and that's how we got Parker a couple of years later," Warren said.
Dr. Elizbeth Skinner is an oncologist with Novant Health who specializes in gynecological cancers. She performed Warren's initial surgery.
“If you take gynecologic cancers as a whole it's a very taboo subject,” Dr. Skinner said. “People don't like to talk about them because of the location where they arise from.”
Spreading awareness
Dr. Skinner said that currently there are no screening tools for ovarian cancer. She stresses the importance of routine pap smears and doctor visits.
“I can't emphasize enough listening to your body and if your body is telling you something that doesn't seem right, abnormal bleeding, abnormal discharge, bloating, swelling,” Dr. Skinner said. “Things again that are new, don't be afraid to bring that up to your provider."
After getting her cancer under control for several years, Warren now faces another battle with this disease. She hopes her story will encourage others to seek help.