My 12-year-old had OVARIAN CANCER

Doctors thought Jenny Robinson’s daughter was going through puberty. The truth was far more frightening

- MISHAAL KHAN

Sitting at the dining table, I looked at the anxious faces around me: my husband, Jeremy, then 42, and daughters, Mia, 16, and Imogen, 12. We were holding a family conference, something we often did, but this time, the conversation made my heart heavy and my anxiety soar.

Imogen, who was about to turn 13, had to make a colossal and frightening choice. And while we were all there to help and support her, the decision – whether or not to put herself through gruelling chemotherapy – ultimately had to be hers.

It was July 2019 when I noticed Imogen’s posture was off. A keen dancer since the age of three, Imogen usually stood tall, her shoulders down, back straight. Now her tummy protruded, like she was sticking it out. She felt normal, and the GP told us her abdominal muscles were just pronounced, and that her body was going through the changes of puberty, so I didn’t think about it again. Until January 2020, when Imogen’s dance teacher quietly told me she had concerns about her tummy. As she’d helped Imogeninto a ballet position, she’d noticed that her midriff was rock-hard.

The next day, I had Imogen examined by a paediatrician, who instantly booked an ultrasound. ‘Just to make sure everything’s OK,’ I reassured Imogen. But days later, as two technicians huddled around the ultrasound screen, whispering, Imogen became tearful.

‘What’s wrong, Mummy?’ she asked. Yet, although I heard the word ‘cyst’, no one could confirm anything until she’d had more tests. All I could do was cuddle her and promise we’d find out so we could make her better.

I was beside myself with worry, though, as Imogen had CT and MRI scans and an X-ray. Then, when we were sent straight to a surgeon to discuss the results, alarm bells sounded.