Ballet dancer discovers ovarian cancer after doctor says she was 'scared of gaining weight'

A dancer from São José do Rio Preto (SP) discovered ovarian cancer after her gynecologist said she was “afraid of gaining weight.”The imaging test that discovered the liquid was carried out on July 19, 2018, exactly six years ago. The story was told by TV TEM, a subsidiary of Rede Globo.

Ana Lucia Almeida Ribeiro, now 59 years old. Seek medical help if they notice something different in their body.in April 2018. But the gynecologist, Suggested that it has image distortion. He recommended seeing a psychiatrist, even though there was a history of two family members dying from the disease.

Then the changes in her body continued, and the dancer said that it reached the point where she looked like a pregnant woman. Three months later, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

“I was very careful about my weight because I was a dancer. At 50, I lost seven kilos and I was in the best phase of my life. I weighed myself every week to control my body. But in a week I gained two kilos. It was the first sign, but the doctor said I was afraid of gaining weight.”

“In April 2018, in one week, I gained 2 kilos in my stomach. Unfortunately, the doctor looked at me and told me that I was afraid of gaining weight, and that I should go to a psychiatrist.”

In February 2019, the woman underwent emergency surgery and began chemotherapy. After the procedure, She spent three days in the intensive care unit..

but, Ana Lucia had two remakes in 2020 and 2021.She now hopes to finish chemotherapy completely in October of this year. To face the difficult times in life, Dancer turns ballet.

“Ballet definitely helped me. When I went to the surgery center, I didn’t know if I would come back from surgery. But, on the stretcher, I heard my children calling for me. That gave me strength because I knew I had to get back to them.”