Multiple doctors missed the giant tumour growing inside Catherine, instead telling her to 'exercise more'

Exclusive: When Catherine Stephen started gaining weight at 29, she didn't think too much of it.

Neither did the first few doctors she went to see when she started experiencing bloating and back pain as well.

They said there was nothing wrong with her and suggested she "exercise more".

"I had to see three different doctors before anyone would actually take me seriously," Stephen told nine.com.au.

If the third doctor hadn't listened, she probably wouldn't be alive today.

“I had a tumour the size of my head all through my abdominal cavity,” she said.

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"Which you can imagine was quite traumatic."

The third doctor had sent Stephen for an ultrasound that revealed the massive tumour but she'd need surgery to figure out what it was.

She was referred to an oncologist in Newcastle, more than four hours' drive away from her home in Armidale, who wanted to operate as soon as possible.

He was reluctant to even let her go home for a few nights to prepare.

"He didn't want me to leave Newcastle because there was a very high chance that the tumour would rupture and I would die," Stephen said.

Just a few weeks after that initial ultrasound, she was wheeled into surgery.

The tumour was removed, as was Stephen's right ovary and appendix, but when she woke up she finally had a diagnosis.

And it wasn't good.

At just 29, Stephen was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, the most lethal of all gynaecological cancers.

More than 1800 Australian women and girls are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year and fewer than half diagnosed today survive beyond five years.

The stats were even more dire in 2010, when Stephen was diagnosed with a rare stage two Granulosa Cell Tumour.

She couldn't understand how something so deadly could have taken root inside her when she had always been "super healthy, super active".

Because of her age, doctors decided not to put her through chemotherapy or radiation in a bid to preserve her fertility.

But Stephen still spent the next few years doing nine-hour round trips to Newcastle for tests and check-ups to ensure the cancer didn't come back.

That, she admits, was the hardest part of her cancer journey.

The sheer amount of time and money it took to get from her regional home to a hospital capable of providing the support she needed was astronomical.

Not to mention the constant fear of recurrence, which can be as high as 80 per cent for ovarian cancer.

"You were constantly having scares, you were constantly having blood tests, you were constantly going back to the oncologist," Stephen said.

"You couldn't get away from it."

Support services were practically non-existent out regional, especially for young women with ovarian cancer, adding to her emotional struggles.

"There's no one that can identify with your experience, and it can be quite lonely going through all that on your own," she said.

Though Stephen was declared cancer-free early in her journey, it took about five years for her to feel physically and mentally well again.

She had to undergo additional surgeries, faced fertility challenges, and has not had any children.

It wasn't until she'd been cancer-free for 10 years that Stephen felt ready to step into advocacy.

She's spent the last five years spreading awareness and fundraising for ovarian cancer research and support services to help other women.

There is currently no early detection test, which is why up to 70 per cent of cases aren't diagnosed until the advanced stages, when the survival rate is much lower.

That's why awareness and research funding is so vital for early diagnosis and improved outcomes.

"Anything that I can do to promote and improve health outcomes for regional women has also been a real driver for me," she said.

Stephen has also found healing through connecting with other women who have experienced ovarian cancer through organisations like the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation (OCRF).

"It's just great to be able to connect with anyone who can empathise with your situation, and you can talk about your experiences on a shared level," she said.

Ovarian cancer research is still underfunded and until that changes, progress will be slow.

Stephen is doing her part as an ambassador for this year's Frocktober campaign.

It invites Aussies to 'frock up' and raise money through sponsorship, donations or events to help the OCRF fund research into early detection and better treatments for a cancer that kills so many women.

But Stephen's most important message is for young women around the country.

"If you think there's something wrong, advocate for yourself and don't stop until you're happy with the with the outcome," she said.

"Younger women, sometimes they're brushed aside because they are considered to be fitter and healthier [but] don't give up until you're satisfied with with the answers that you get."

After all, if she had settled for the first doctors' dismissals she might not be here today.

Learn more about Frocktober and get involved here.