Before Carly Allen was diagnosed with vulvar cancer, she hardly knew anything about the aggressive disease.

“I started experiencing pain. So, when I was sitting, it felt like I was sitting on a rock, or a pebble. It continued to get more and more painful… I was a working professional, calling in sick to work, constantly in the emergency room, and was misdiagnosed, unfortunately. By the time I got into that referral, I was diagnosed at Stage 3,” Allen told CityNews.

She went through surgery, chemotherapy, and 39 rounds of radiation. When the cancer returned, another surgery removed the tumour for good, but it also led to a colostomy and a hysterectomy.

Allen is now seven years cancer-free, and using her journey to raise awareness for gynecological cancers.

“Shame is a big part of it. Yo

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