Worthing nurse hopes Jade effect will mean more young women are tested for cancer
A FERRING woman was so convinced she had cervical cancer she had picked out a headscarf to wear if she lost her hair through chemotherapy.
But Charlotte Jobsz had no way of knowing for sure if she had the potentially-deadly disease, because for years she had refused to have a smear test.
She had been ignoring regular reminder letters from her GP, and was getting increasingly scared about her situation.
Then, she moved to Grange Close, Ferring, from London and met "amazing" nurse Carolyn Ellis, who finally convinced her to have the simple three-minute test.
Terrified
Charlotte, 32, said: "I was terrified about getting it done, because what I had heard and read made it sound awful.
"I was also terrified of getting the results, because I thought I must have cancer as I had left it so long to have a smear.
"When I did have it done, it was nowhere near as bad as I had thought, and fortunately the results came back clear.
"I was skipping round the garden when I got them – I just couldn't believe it."
Jade Goody effect
Charlotte, who has a 15-month-old son, said the Jade Goody effect had scared her even more, but admitted if she had not met Carolyn she probably still would not have had the test.
She said she was hugely grateful to Carolyn, the practice nurse at The Barn Surgery in Ferring, and described her as "brilliant".
Having the procedure was a "huge weight off my shoulders", she said.
Important test
Before carrying out the test Carolyn explained the procedure to Charlotte.
She said: "It's about building up people's confidence and reassuring them it's not as bad as they think.
"It's not a nice procedure or something to get excited about, but it's really, really important and we all have to have it done.
"Thankfully, rates of cervical cancer are low, and even if something is picked up on a smear, it can usually be treated quite easily."
Not so bad
Carolyn said Charlotte was not her only patient to put-off having a smear test, but said she hoped the Jade Goody effect would inspire anyone whose test was overdue to book an appointment.
And she said in the past few months, the surgery had already seen an increase in the number of women booking in for smear tests.
She added: "For me, the reward of my job is that Charlotte came and had the test.
"I would say to anyone else out there to go to their doctor and have it done. It is not as bad as people imagine."
For more information, visit www.cancerhelp.org.uk
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Weather for Worthing
Tuesday 29 May 2012
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 11 C to 21 C
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Sunny spells
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