Young adult ovarian cancer survivor: ‘Be aggressive when it comes to your health’

It took several months before Elizabeth Jardinella learned the cause of the mysterious symptoms she’d been having since giving birth to her daughter.

The 25-year-old mother of two was juggling a career and being a wife to an active-duty service member. Then, an ovarian cancer diagnosis left her fearful and uncertain.

She came to UT MD Anderson, where her care team successfully treated the cancer. Now, she’s sharing her story in hopes that it will help other young women whose symptoms are often dismissed or who are told they’re too young to have cancer.

Mysterious symptoms cause concern

Shortly after giving birth to her daughter in February 2023, Elizabeth had some rectal bleeding. She thought it was caused by a bacterial infection she got before delivery. Once it turned into heavy bleeding, she went to the emergency room.

“I had a CT scan and was told I had a follicular cyst, basically nothing to worry about,” she recalls. “Since they didn’t find anything concerning, I figured it would just go away on its own.”

She was in the process of finding a primary care physician (PCP) when she went to the emergency room again for the same symptoms.

“I saw a different ER doctor, but I could tell he didn’t even read my chart,” she recalls. “He basically sent me on my way. It was really defeating to feel like something was wrong and just getting shut down.”

Things changed once she found a PCP.

“She was amazing. She looked at all my charts and listened to every single one of my concerns,” says Elizabeth.

Her doctor scheduled a colonoscopy and began treating her anemia. Elizabeth’s gynecologist also referred her to pelvic floor physical therapy for symptoms of pelvic organ prolapse.

By May, the rectal bleeding had cleared, and she started working out again. 

Then she noticed more strange symptoms: a loss of grip strength when lifting weights, bloating and visual migraines.

“I had an intuition that something wasn’t right, but I was hesitant to talk to my PCP. As women, sometimes we’re conditioned to just think these things are normal,” she says.

But once she began having sharp pains while working out, she saw her PCP.

Pushing for answers

Elizabeth described the heavy bleeding and severe cramps she’d been having during her menstrual cycle.

“An ultrasound showed that I had a suspicious mass on my left ovary,” she says. “My husband, Kyle, was deployed, so I had to email him the bad news.”

Her PCP said the mass didn’t look malignant and scheduled Elizabeth for another ultrasound in a month.

“I had a different ultrasound tech, who told me, ‘I don’t know why they’re making us do another ultrasound because it’s just a dermoid cyst. You’re fine,’” recalls Elizabeth. “I remember thinking, ‘It’s something that shouldn’t be there, so it shouldn’t be dismissed.’”

The ultrasound results remained the same, so Elizabeth’s PCP ordered an MRI to rule out anything serious.

On Christmas Eve, Elizabeth got an email saying that she needed to see an oncologist because the mass was suspicious for cancer.

“I remember thinking if it was cancer, I wanted to be treated at the best hospital. And that’s UT MD Anderson,” says Elizabeth, who lives in the Houston area and works in healthcare.

Ovarian cancer diagnosis

She had her first appointment on Dec. 28, 2023, with gynecologic oncologist Jolyn Taylor, M.D.  

“Dr. Taylor was informative, had a great bedside manner and was very compassionate,” says Elizabeth. “She told me, ‘Even if there is a 1% chance of the tumor being cancerous, I don’t like that 1%. We’re going to see what’s going on.’”

UT MD Anderson’s doctors performed scans and bloodwork, which still showed a low chance for cancer.

“That’s the thing about ovarian cancer,” says Elizabeth. “There’s no specific test that can tell you yes or no. The CA-125 blood test is a good evaluation point, but you need surgery and a biopsy to know for sure.”

On Jan. 10, 2024, Taylor performed a total hysterectomy with bilateral salpingectomy, left oophorectomy and omentectomy to remove Elizabeth’s uterus, cervix, fallopian tubes, omentum, left ovary and lymph nodes.   

Pathology results showed that she had low-grade serous ovarian cancer. It was stage 2A.

“I remember Dr. Taylor holding my hand after surgery and saying, ‘I’m so glad you advocated for yourself,’” says Elizabeth. “I was one of the youngest patients she’d ever had, and we caught the cancer early.”

Elizabeth Jardinella with Jolyn Taylor, M.D.

Enrolling in a clinical trial at UT MD Anderson

After pathology showed that the cancer was 95% driven by hormones, Taylor told Elizabeth about a clinical trial at UT MD Anderson that was studying how well the aromatase inhibitor letrozole worked with chemotherapy in treating low-grade serous ovarian cancer.

To be eligible, she’d need to have surgery to remove her right ovary. So, Taylor performed a right oophorectomy on Feb. 7, 2024.

“I’d signed the consent forms before my first surgery that I was fine with them taking all my reproductive organs, even if that meant early menopause,” she says. “If there was a chance of cancer, I wanted everything gone.”

Elizabeth decided to enroll in the clinical trial and was randomized to the arm to receive chemotherapy followed by letrozole.

She completed six rounds of carboplatin and paclitaxel chemotherapy before ringing the bell on June 6, 2024.

The side effects were rough, especially after the first treatment, but her care team helped her manage them.

“I have really bad anxiety, so I’d message my care team in MyChart about everything, and they’d always respond quickly,” she says. “They made sure I was comfortable by offering medicine or resources to help me. They took seriously any side effect I had, whether it was hair loss, nausea or something minor. I am so grateful for that.”

After completing chemo, Elizabeth began taking letrozole, which she’ll take for five years as maintenance therapy.

She comes to UT MD Anderson every three months for bloodwork and pelvic exams and every six months for scans.

Her scans continue to show no evidence of disease.

Thankful for resources at UT MD Anderson

Throughout treatment and after, Elizabeth has found comfort and support at UT MD Anderson.

She participates in the Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) program, where she’s been able to connect with other young cancer patients. She’s also utilized the AYA’s counseling services during chemotherapy treatment and now in survivorship.

Elizabeth volunteers with myCancerConnection, UT MD Anderson’s one-on-one cancer support community. She enjoys helping others who may be facing the same issues she’s experienced.

These days, Elizabeth enjoys working out, watching her kids grow up and just living in the moment. She is thankful for the support from Kyle, his family, her family back in New Jersey and the many friends she’s made along the way.

“Being diagnosed with cancer so young and going through early menopause has made me realize that I am my own best health advocate,” she says. “If something doesn’t seem normal with your body, find someone who will listen to you. Be aggressive when it comes to your health.”

She’s happy she chose UT MD Anderson for treatment.

“My entire experience with having cancer was made so much better because of UT MD Anderson,” she says. “The way they make you feel, all the resources they offer and how quickly they provide them make it so much easier as a patient. It takes away the stress, so you can focus on taking care of yourself and getting better.”

Request an appointment at UT MD Anderson online or call 1-877-632-6789.