KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Ovarian cancer is a type of cancer that so often isn’t found until the later stages, but there are some symptoms you can watch out for that could save your life. A Knoxville woman is beating the odds after learning she only had a year to live.
In 2015, Kristi Guider was diagnosed with stage four small cell ovarian cancer.
“It’s absolutely a miracle that I’m here,” she said.
“It was a Friday. April 3rd, 2015. I went to work. Everything was great until about lunch,” Guider said. “Started having a little pain in my back, my lower back. I thought, ‘interesting.’ And about an hour later it kind of radiated around my abdominal area.”
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“It progressed where it then radiated down into my thigh and I was doubled over. I really hurting.”
She later realized she did have another symptom earlier that she had brushed off.
“I hadn’t been on the scales or anything, but I thought I was gaining weight. Turns out that bloat was a sign, and I certainly just mistook it for poor eating habits or something other obviously than ovarian cancer.”