Bodybuilding nurse, 28, is diagnosed with cervical cancer as doctors find tennis ball-sized tumour after her smear test had been cancelled due to Covid-19 pandemic

A nurse has been diagnosed with cervical cancer after doctors found a tennis ball-sized tumour and her smear test was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Destiny Wade, 28, an oncology nurse from Crayford, South East London, was supposed to have a smear test in March.

She started having some mild symptoms such as bleeding after sex but was told it was probably a popped cyst.

Destiny, who also had coronavirus, took herself to A&E after a night of heavy bleeding and following three weeks of tests was diagnosed with cancer.

It follows cancer waiting times in England hitting an all-time high during the coronavirus crisis, in figures revealed last week.

Fewer than half of people (47.9 per cent) who were diagnosed with cancer after a screening appointment managed to get treatment within the target time of two months. 

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Destiny Wade, 28, pictured above, from Crayford, southeast London, was supposed to have a smear test in March but it was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. She has now been diagnosed with a cancerous tumour the size of a tennis ball

She has now set up a GoFundMe page and an Instagram account to raise awareness about the importance of smear tests.

She said: 'I started having some symptoms in February such as bleeding after sex but I didn't think anything of it.

'In March I was supposed to have a smear test which I do every three years but my GP called me and told me it was cancelled due to Covid-19.

'When I raised that I had some mild symptoms, I was told: "You are only 27, you have low risk of having cervical cancer so you are not a priority". I was told I could get an appointment in the next six months.

'I had coronavirus and was off work for four weeks - it was around that time when I started noticing abnormal bleeding.

'I spoke to my GP on the phone who told me it was probably just a popped cyst.

'By May the bleeding was every day - I've been on the pill since I was 15 and I have never had any problems.

'One night I had very extreme bleeding and I had a gut feeling, I thought 'I can't sit on this any longer' so I took myself to A&E.'

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Destiny, who is an oncology nurse, took herself to A&E after a night of heavy bleeding

She added: 'I remember sitting in the car and thinking they are going to laugh in my face because who takes themselves to A&E for bleeding but I just felt I wanted someone to take a look.

'I was on the bed and the consultant did an internal examination- as soon as I saw her face I knew that something was wrong. She said I had a tumour the size of a tennis ball.

'I am a fit active girl, I work with cancer I thought I'd know if I had it but it turns out you can never know. If I had the smear test I would have caught it in March.'

Destiny's last smear test was in April 2017 and was '100 per cent normal'.

She has started her first round of chemo for six weeks, followed by another six weeks along with radiotherapy.

She was also devastated to learn the radiotherapy will weaken her womb and she won't be able to carry children.

But she underwent a ovarian transposition, an operation where the ovaries are moved higher up in the body, to minimise the radiotherapy's effect.

She added: 'The ovarian transposition is done through keyhole surgery and it is amazing.

'They basically disconnect the ovaries and move them and pin them underneath my ribs. I literally have ovaries in my ribs- I'd love to see an X-ray.

'There is going to be harm from the radiotherapy but it will be reduced because my ovaries are higher up in my body. 

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After three weeks of tests she was diagnosed with cervical cancer and has started her first round of chemo for six weeks, followed by another six weeks along with radiotherapy

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Destiny pictured with her work colleagues. It follows cancer waiting times in England hitting an all-time high during the coronavirus crisis, in figures revealed last week

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The bodybuilder is diagnosed with grade three cancer and said if it had been picked up earlier 'it could have potentially still been at grade one'. She has set up a GoFundMe page and an Instagram account to raise awareness on the importance of smear tests

'I won't be able to carry a baby but I will be able to have IVF and have a biological baby through a surrogate. 

Destiny is also wearing a cooling scalp during chemotherapy to minimise the risk of losing hair - it's a jelly swimming cap plugged into a machine that makes the cap frozen and numbs the hair follicles.

The bodybuilder is determined to beat cancer and is keen on raising awareness for smear tests.

She added: 'I was told I am on grade three now - if it had been picked up earlier it could have potentially still been at grade one and they could have just removed it.

'The main thing is if you are not happy with someone's diagnosis, if you feel like something's wrong, don't let it stop you asking for a second opinion.

'I think it's really sad that something like a smear test is classed as a routine appointment.

'It's one of those things that women don't like doing it and need their GP to put pressure on them and convince them to have it done.

'It's a bit embarrassing but it's something essential and life saving. There is still a stigma attached to it because women feel there is some judgement behind it.' 

In May hundreds of people had to wait for more than eight weeks between being told they had cancer - likely breast, bowel or cervical cancer - and getting therapy.

The proportion of people getting treated within two months of an urgent referral from their doctor, for any type of cancer, also fell to the lowest in at least a decade.

And one in every 16 patients (6.1 per cent) was left waiting for at least a month to start treatment after a doctor had decided they needed it.

The NHS, Government, charities and experts are urging people who think they have cancer symptoms to get checked out as soon as possible.

Sara Bainbridge, head of policy at Macmillan Cancer Support, said: 'We know that many will have been afraid to come forward with symptoms for fear of being a burden on the NHS or catching coronavirus.

'As thousands of these "invisible patients" are diagnosed with cancer and begin their treatment, our cancer services face being under more pressure than ever before.'

The data from NHS England showed the proportion of people being treated within two months of a diagnosis through the cancer screening services dropped from 78.9 per cent in January to just 47.9 per cent in May.

Screening is mostly done on women and checks for breast, bowel and cervical cancer. The target is to treat 90 per cent of patients within two months if they are diagnosed.

It also found the number of people treated within two months of a doctor's referral - which can be for any type of cancer - fell from 73.6 per cent to 69.9 per cent in the same time.