Penarth mum begged for MRI which revealed cervical cancer

A woman with cervical cancer who waited years to be diagnosed says she has “lost her faith in doctors”.

Jessica Mason went back and forth to her GP and hospital with swelling, bleeding and pain in her vagina but says she was “fobbed off” before “begging” for a scan which revealed cancer requiring urgent treatment.

The 44-year-old believes she was only referred for an MRI because she “broke down in tears” to a doctor, adding: “I knew there was something wrong.”

A Senedd health committee report into gynaecological cancer has found women have been “let down by the Welsh government’s inaction”. The Welsh government said it was working with the NHS to improve gynaecological cancer outcomes.

Jessica, from Penarth in the Vale of Glamorgan, was experiencing pain and vaginal bleeding which became serious in 2019.

“I knew there was something wrong,” she said.

She said doctors gave her ultrasounds which did not pick up any issues, and she was also given various diagnoses including a cyst, endometriosis and prolapse, for which she was advised to perform pelvic floor exercises.

“It was so confusing because you trust in the doctors and you think if it was something serious they would have known,” she said.

Jessica said a smear test six months before she was diagnosed also picked up nothing.

It was only in May 2022 when she went to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff for the results of an ultrasound that she broke down in tears.

“They said there was something on the lining of the womb but it all looked OK,” said Jessica, who begged them to do something more to check what could be causing her symptoms as she felt she “wasn’t being believed”.

“It was only at that point they offered me an MRI,” she added, which she said was offered as a way to give her “peace of mind”.

The results came back a couple of weeks later in June 2022.

“Cancer didn’t cross my mind to be honest, I thought it would be something like an infection, I didn’t think it was going to be that serious.”

In fact the doctor told her that she had stage 1 B3 cervical cancer and needed to start treatment urgently.

Jessica started a programme of chemotherapy and radiotherapy in August 2022 for five weeks.

Jessica said the treatment took its toll on her 13-year-old son and also pushed her into early menopause, meaning she had to give up her plans to have another child.

“I couldn’t cook and couldn’t clean, I couldn’t even iron my son’s uniform or take him to school,” she said.

Jessica believes she should have been referred for an MRI sooner.

“The cost of the MRI is probably just as much as the amount spent on treatment, GP and doctor appointments,” she added.

But that wasn’t the end of Jessica’s ordeal, after a further MRI in February 2023 found the tumour was still there and meant she needed to have a hysterectomy in July 2023.

“I lost my faith in the doctors,” said Jessica.

“It’s horrible because obviously I’m not a medical expert and you’ve got to put your faith in them but I’m always questioning them.”

Jessica used to work full time but said she could now only manage three days a week.

“It took over our lives. My body is wrecked from everything I’ve been through but mentally too, my friends, my family, my home life, everything just revolves around that.”

Jessica said she still experienced bleeding occasionally and will need further biopsies, describing the situation as “never-ending”.

“I’ve always got this worry in the back of my head, what if they miss something again and this time I don’t survive it?”

She has accused the health board of “dragging their heels” over sharing her medical records while she considers whether to take legal action against them.

“A lot of women-specific issues are just not recognised [quickly] enough. They just dismiss it as ‘your time of the month’ or ‘women’s issues’,” she added.

A spokesperson for Cardiff and Vale University Health Board said: “We are sorry to hear about Jessica’s experience while in our care and acknowledge the challenges surrounding her cancer diagnosis.

“As it would be inappropriate to comment on an individual patient case, and due to ongoing legal proceedings, we are unable to comment further.”

A recent Senedd health committee report into gynaecological cancer care in Wales found that women were “still being let down by the Welsh government’s inaction”.

The report found a failure to deliver on a number of recommendations made in December 2023 as part of a landmark report uncovering “critical failures”.

It said despite accepting the majority of the committee’s 2023 recommendations, the Welsh government had not allocated specific ring-fenced funding for gynaecological cancer services or published measurable NHS targets for improving outcomes.

It also found that Wales had fallen short on waiting times, with only 41% of patients starting treatment within the 62-day target in October 2025.

Cancer charity Tenovus said it was “deeply concerning to see in black and white just how little progress has been made”.

The Welsh government said: “We are committed to working with the NHS to improve access to timely diagnosis and treatment for women with gynaecological cancer.

“We have made changes to support earlier referrals and we are investing in new equipment and new treatments to improve women’s outcomes.

“The current performance against the 62-day target is simply not good enough and must improve.

“The Women’s Health Plan is driving real change in women’s healthcare in Wales.”