Brooke Janke of Lansing, Michigan, was diagnosed with stage 3C low-grade serous ovarian cancer in 2021 at the age of 28.
“I had been having increased urinary frequency,” said Brooke, who is a physician assistant working in the field of gastroenterology. “I attributed this to drinking so much water so I could breastfeed my twin boys.”
A 10-centimeter mass was discovered during a routine visit to the gynecologist.
“I learned that it was cancerous from the results in my patient portal account,” she said. “I was scared that I was going to die and leave my twin babies without a mother.”
Brooke had surgery to remove her uterus, cervix, both fallopian tubes and ovaries, followed by chemotherapy.
“The most challenging part is not being able to take care of my kids the way I want to,” she said. “I couldn’t even pick them up for 8 weeks after my surgery.”
Without additional research into treatment for low-grade serous ovarian cancer, Brooke worries that she won’t have the chance to see her boys grow up.
