Maya Ortiz is currently undergoing treatment for Stage 3 Ovarian Cancer Maya Ortiz

At 18, Maya Ortiz developed sharp stomach pain that flared after meals. She chalked it up to her usual “sensitive stomach.” But over the following months, the ache grew to agony. “I’d drink milk and curl my body in search of relief," Ortiz said. “It just kept getting worse.”

Her primary care doctor advised a bland diet. When that failed, she returned twice more. The doctor reassured, “Remember, you’re young. You look healthy.”

Finally, after pleading, Ortiz was referred to a gastroenterologist, but she never made it to that appointment. Instead, Ortiz’s pain spiked. Her mother rushed her to the ER where the physician hesitated to order a CT scan due to radiation exposure.

It’s reasonable and increasing

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