How Maria Overcame Gynecologic Cancer at TMH
When Maria Romero experienced vaginal bleeding after she had been through menopause, she immediately knew something wasn’t right.
“I was 58 at the time, and I was bleeding,” she says.
After consulting with her primary care provider, Maria was diagnosed with endometrial cancer in June of 2021 and quickly turned to the gynecologic cancer specialists at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare (TMH). Like many patients diagnosed with cancer, she was blindsided by her diagnosis.
“Women’s health comes with many issues,” Maria says. “We have to get checked every year. I’ve done many tests and never had any issues, but when I’m bleeding and I’m 58 years old, you say, ‘That’s not normal.’ ”
Nobody is ever prepared for a cancer diagnosis, but Maria says she was ready to fight it.
“With the word cancer, you think, ‘I’m going to die,’” Maria says. “But I was ready to fight this and do what I have to do.”
Originally from Miami, Maria had moved to Tallahassee to be closer to family, but she considered going back to South Florida for treatment following her diagnosis.
“In Miami, there are several good hospitals, and I was thinking about going back,” she says. “However, I spoke with many people here, and they explained to me that the Tallahassee Memorial Cancer Center is one of the best.”
After weighing her options, Maria made the decision to stay in Tallahassee for treatment.
“It was a great decision,” Maria says through smiles and tears.
Maria received treatment from Christine Fitzsimmons, DO, of TMH Physician Partners – Gynecologic Oncology at the Tallahassee Memorial Cancer Center. Dr. Fitzsimmons, alongside Amanda Stephens, DO, and Jay Allard, MD, make up the region’s largest gynecologic cancer team. They begin caring for patients shortly after a gynecologic cancer diagnosis or when patients have a suspected case of gynecologic cancer.
With no standard screening for endometrial cancer, and multiple other forms of gynecologic cancer, it’s extremely important to pay attention to the signs and symptoms. Endometrial cancer symptoms include:
- Abnormal vaginal bleeding or discharge unrelated to periods
- Postmenopausal vaginal bleeding
- Difficulty urinating or painful urination
- Pain during sexual intercourse
- Pelvic pain
Abnormal vaginal bleeding may be the most telltale sign of the disease. More than 90 percent of women diagnosed with endometrial cancer experience abnormal bleeding, which is why Dr. Fitzsimmons says all vaginal bleeding after menopause should be checked out immediately.
“There are other causes, but it’s important to rule out cancer as one of them,” she says. “A lot of women may brush off one episode of vaginal bleeding, but any vaginal bleeding after you’ve gone through menopause is not normal and should be evaluated by a physician.”
Upon her first appointment, Maria told Dr. Fitzsimmons she wanted to schedule her surgery as soon as possible. Within two weeks, Maria was set to undergo surgery at TMH’s M.T. Mustian Center.
Expediting the time from diagnosis to surgery is vitally important to successful cancer treatment, and it’s a priority of Dr. Fitzsimmons and the team at TMH Physician Partners – Gynecologic Oncology.
“If it was our family member who was diagnosed with cancer, we would want them to be seen immediately and we take that to heart,” Dr. Fitzsimmons says. “So, we get patients in as quick as possible and try to get our treatment started as quick as possible as well. That’s how we would want our loved ones cared for, so that’s how we care for you.”
Following successful surgery and follow-up care from Dr. Fitzsimmons, Maria didn’t show any signs of cancer. Within two months of her surgery, her life was getting back to normal. She was back to work and already going back to the gym.
“I started going back to the gym slowly,” Maria says. “But now I’m back to 100%.”
While no one wishes for a cancer diagnosis and Maria is happy to have her cancer diagnosis in the rear-view mirror, she says the experience opened her eyes to how precious life is.
“Life is important, and you only have one,” she says. “And I have a second chance.”
A second chance that’s, in large part, due to the life-saving services of physicians at the Tallahassee Memorial Cancer Center.
If you suffer from symptoms of gynecologic cancer, speak with your primary care provider immediately. TMH Physician Partners – Gynecologic Oncology is the region’s largest gynecologic cancer team, with more than 75 years of combined experience in gynecologic cancer medicine.
