Gabby Petrowicz

Hometown:  Toronto

What school did you attend?  York University

Do you work?  Yes, part-time in retail

What is your career goal?  I want to work anywhere within the criminal justice system

How did you find out you were sick? What event(s) led to the diagnosis?  I went for a regular yearly physical and my doctor felt something in my abdomen. At first he thought I was pregnant, but that was not possible. I was referred to an ob-gyn. After a CT scan he told me surgery would be required. Since the mass on my ovary was so big he would have to remove the entire ovary. He assured me I'd still be able to have children with only one ovary remaining. However, during surgery he saw another tumor on my other ovary. So he had to remove both ovaries. The pathology test came back as borderline ovarian carcinoma stage 1c. After getting a second opinion, I was told it was stage 3.

What year was it? What was your age at the time? 2009. I was 23.

At what level of education were you at diagnosis?  Second year at university

What was your diagnosis? Borderline Ovarian Cancer, stage 3

What were your first thoughts when diagnosed?  All I could think was "I don't want to die."

How did your family react?  My parents didn't really talk about it. It seems like they don't even want to acknowledge that I have cancer. But I'm sure they were devastated.

How did your friends react? Were you treated any different? They were all great. I wasn't treated any differently.

What did your treatment consist of? Surgery - bilateral oophorectomy
Losing both ovaries is horrible. I always wanted a big family with lots of kids. Now that will never happen. Mostly I am okay. But sometimes I have days where all I want to do is cry because I will never be able to have my own children.

In which Hospital(s) are you treated?  My surgery was at Humber River Regional Hospital. I am currently being followed up my Princess Margaret Hospital.

What is the toughest part of your challenge?  The toughest part is having lost my fertility.

What is the best part about having your challenge?  It made me realize life is short. I have always been a shy person. I've never done anything that was outside of my comfort zone. After my diagnosis I took an acting class at school (something that I would have never done prior to this). Finishing that class (without dropping it) is my biggest accomplishment. And ever since then I've been taking more risks.

What lessons or messages have you taken away from your experience?  Life is short so don't waste time. Do everything you want to do, don't let being out of your comfort zone stop you. You don't want to die with regrets.

If you are interested in connecting with Gabby Petrowicz please email connect@youngadultcancer.ca.