Survivor talks symptoms, treatment during Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month
Posted: Updated:September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, and one brave woman is sharing her story of survival.
Quinn Alfinito-Renta’s battle with cancer started in 2009 when she started not to feel well.
“I was tired all the time, had nausea, vomiting, lower abdominal pain, bloating,” says Alfinito-Renta.
Alfinito-Renta, who is now a retired nurse, tells News 12 in the back of her mind she thought maybe it was something to do with her ovaries, but didn't know what.
After speaking with her doctor, she went for a CT scan where they found a tumor on each ovary.
Alfinito-Renta underwent six rounds of chemotherapy, all with her friends and family by her side
“The statistics for that even with all the rounds of chemo is a five-year survival rate, and I just celebrated my 10th,” says Alfinito-Renta.
During her follow-up CT scans, it showed Alfinito-Renta had an unrelated dance with thyroid cancer. Still, she looked for the positives.
“If it hadn't been for the follow-up CT scan, they wouldn't have even seen that, so I guess it was lucky that I had that follow-up CT scan when I did,” says Alfinito-Renta.
Alfinito-Renta received her treatment at Montefiore Medical Center. Her doctor tells News 12 the reason why ovarian cancer is so tough to fight is because there is no standard screening exam.
“There is no screening exam. So, if I walked into my doctor's office today and said I would like to be screened for ovarian cancer, there is no standard of care test that someone could take of my blood,” says Dr. Nicole Nevadunsky.
Alfinito-Renta says she is now using her time to get the word out about ovarian cancer.
“Now, I focus on helping other people fight, you know, by sharing what the symptoms are and what you should do about them,” says Alfinito-Renta.
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