This teen is sharing the symptoms of her stage 3 ovarian cancer so that other women are more informed

As teenagers, most of us were so busy with high school and our crush-of-the-week that the idea of appreciating our health may have never crossed our minds. But unfortunately this wasn’t the case for Caly Bevier, and now the 17-year-old ovarian cancer survivor is sharing symptoms she ignored so that other women will be more informed and know what to look for.

People.comreports that after returning from a family vacation in 2015, Caly and her mother realized something was very wrong. The teen’s stomach was bloated, she was vomiting, and she just felt awful. Caly’s doctor initially thought the then 15-year-old high school sophomore was pregnant.

However, it was later discovered that the teen had a 5-pound tumor and a rare form of Stage 3 ovarian cancer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpTADke2ht0?feature=oembed

Caly spent three months in-and-out of the hospital enduring 21 chemo infusions. The brave teen credits her fighting spirit for getting her through some of the hardest moments of her illness.

"I kept telling myself to just be positive, she says. “I knew everything would be okay in the end. When you’re going through something so hard you realize how important all the little things in life really are. It has changed me."

Caly’s treatments proved successful and her family was informed of her cancer’s remission. Now, in remission for two years, she’s determined to raise awareness about the difficult-to-detect symptoms of ovarian cancer and encourage other women not to ignore these possibly life-saving signs.

“I had a lump growing in my stomach for a year and I just ignored it. I didn’t really think anything of it because it wasn’t a problem,” Caly admits. Caly’s doctor said,

"Caly’s is a very rare form of ovarian cancer. There are some symptoms — pain in the back and abdomen, burning urination and some constipation…but the symptoms are very non-specific and that’s why ovarian cancer is very difficult to pick up. You won’t feel anything until the cancer is large and that’s why it can be so deadly for women."

Despite having her left ovary and fallopian tube removed, Caly should still be able to have kids someday, if she decides to. Although that might be some ways away, the teen seems to be very busy these days with plans of getting her GED and moving to L.A. to pursue her passion for music and entertaining. She has even competed on America’s Got Talent, where she made it to the semi-final round in 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9msiUy0JN64

“I always loved singing. My grandpa would always tell me, ‘You’re gonna be a star one day,’ but I never did anything with it,” she says.

It’s obvious Caly won’t be letting her diagnosis deter her dreams.

Ovarian cancer is the fifth most common cancer in women and will affect one in every 72 women, so it’s important to arm ourselves with the facts. We appreciate Caly and other survivors who share their stories, and we’re sure it will help save lives.