Ovarian Cancer Diagnosis Prompts a Change in Life Plans
- Marecya Burton was a 20-year-old college student when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
- She missed the symptoms, attributing them to normal aches and pains from cheerleading.
- Burton had to leave college to finish her treatment, giving up her plans of going to law school.
- Now a high school social studies teacher, she says she wouldn’t change careers “for the world.”
Ovarian cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer in women, but it often strikes late in life, mainly affecting women in their 60s or older. Marecya Burton was just 20 years old when she received her diagnosis.
“I was definitely shocked,” she tells SurvivorNet. “When it hit me, it was, ‘Why me? What did I do?'”
Symptoms Missed
At the time, Burton was a student and cheerleader at Bowie State University. Being an athlete, it was easy to write off the subtle symptoms of ovarian cancer, which can include tiredness, reduced appetite, and pain, as the normal byproducts of athletic activity.
Related: Ovarian Cancer Symptoms Can Be Hard to Spot
“I was contributing everything to being an athlete,” she says. “Oh, my back hurts because I flipped down the field two days in a row.”
Dr. Jose Alejandro Rauh-Hain, gynecologic oncologist at MD Anderson Cancer Center, explains what symptoms should alert you to ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer is often referred to as the “cancer that whispers.” The lack of clear warning signs is why only about 20% of women with this cancer are diagnosed at an early stage, when their cancer is easiest to treat.
Dreams Deferred
Instead of graduating from coIlege with her friends as she’d planned, Burton had to move back home and start treatment. “That was definitely challenging for me,” she says. “I was looking forward to graduating.”
Related: Congrats, Grad! Beyonce Howells, Who Survived Early Life Cancer, Graduates High School With Her Mom At Her Side
She had planned to go to law school after graduation — plans that she had to give up. “I really had to, in a sense, put my life on hold,” she says. “Sometimes I look at where I am, and I can’t help but wonder, would I be further had I not had my diagnosis?”
Instead of pursuing law, Burton became a high school teacher. She now teaches social studies in Baltimore, Maryland, and she’s made peace with her new direction. “I wouldn’t change my career for the world,” she says. “It’s so fulfilling.”
Cancer-versary
Today, Marecya Burton is not only surviving, but thriving. Yet she calls the experience of surviving cancer “bittersweet.” Each year, the anniversary of her surgery date leaves her with mixed emotions.
Ovarian cancer surgery: What you need to know
“It’s a day that kind of ruined my life. But now I’m so grateful for my 29th birthday in July,” she says. This year, Burton and her friends celebrated the occasion by renting a yacht and sailing it down the Potomac River. Getting together with friends is one of the things that has helped to bring her peace, and has kept her moving forward.
Related: ‘The Biggest Loser’s’ Erica Lugo Shares Powerful Photos of Thyroid Cancer Surgery On 2-Year-Anniversary; Reminds Women to ‘#CheckTheirNeck
She now applies the same energy that she once used to fight her cancer to “be fierce and just kick ass every day.”
“I think mentally, cancer will do what you allow it to do. And you really have to fight, mind, body, and spirit to get to a place where you are able to live as a survivor and not let it haunt you,” she says.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
Ovarian Cancer Diagnosis Prompts a Change in Life Plans
- Marecya Burton was a 20-year-old college student when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
- She missed the symptoms, attributing them to normal aches and pains from cheerleading.
- Burton had to leave college to finish her treatment, giving up her plans of going to law school.
- Now a high school social studies teacher, she says she wouldn’t change careers “for the world.”
Ovarian cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer in women, but it often strikes late in life, mainly affecting women
in their 60s or older. Marecya Burton was just 20 years old when she received her diagnosis.
“I was definitely shocked,” she tells SurvivorNet. “When it hit me, it was, ‘Why me? What did I do?'”
Symptoms Missed
Read More
At the time, Burton was a student and cheerleader at Bowie State University. Being an athlete, it was easy to write off the subtle symptoms of ovarian cancer, which can include tiredness, reduced appetite, and pain, as the normal byproducts of athletic activity.
Related: Ovarian Cancer Symptoms Can Be Hard to Spot
“I was contributing everything to being an athlete,” she says. “Oh, my back hurts because I flipped down the field two days in a row.”
Dr. Jose Alejandro Rauh-Hain, gynecologic oncologist at MD Anderson Cancer Center, explains what symptoms should alert you to ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer is often referred to as the “cancer that whispers.” The lack of clear warning signs is why only about 20% of women with this cancer are diagnosed at an early stage, when their cancer is easiest to treat.
Dreams Deferred
Instead of graduating from coIlege with her friends as she’d planned, Burton had to move back home and start treatment. “That was definitely challenging for me,” she says. “I was looking forward to graduating.”
Related: Congrats, Grad! Beyonce Howells, Who Survived Early Life Cancer, Graduates High School With Her Mom At Her Side
She had planned to go to law school after graduation — plans that she had to give up. “I really had to, in a sense, put my life on hold,” she says. “Sometimes I look at where I am, and I can’t help but wonder, would I be further had I not had my diagnosis?”
Instead of pursuing law, Burton became a high school teacher. She now teaches social studies in Baltimore, Maryland, and she’s made peace with her new direction. “I wouldn’t change my career for the world,” she says. “It’s so fulfilling.”
Cancer-versary
Today, Marecya Burton is not only surviving, but thriving. Yet she calls the experience of surviving cancer “bittersweet.” Each year, the anniversary of her surgery date leaves her with mixed emotions.
Ovarian cancer surgery: What you need to know
“It’s a day that kind of ruined my life. But now I’m so grateful for my 29th birthday in July,” she says. This year, Burton and her friends celebrated the occasion by renting a yacht and sailing it down the Potomac River. Getting together with friends is one of the things that has helped to bring her peace, and has kept her moving forward.
Related: ‘The Biggest Loser’s’ Erica Lugo Shares Powerful Photos of Thyroid Cancer Surgery On 2-Year-Anniversary; Reminds Women to ‘#CheckTheirNeck
She now applies the same energy that she once used to fight her cancer to “be fierce and just kick ass every day.”
“I think mentally, cancer will do what you allow it to do. And you really have to fight, mind, body, and spirit to get to a place where you are able to live as a survivor and not let it haunt you,” she says.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
