A grieving husband is calling for the cervical screening age to be lowered following the sudden loss of his wife.
Dava Rice's wife, Emma Rice, from Birkenhead, Wirral, sadly passed away aged just 32, on June 29, 2023, following a battle with cervical cancer. Dava, 33, said his wife could have been saved if she was offered a cervical test earlier after suffering discomfort for years.
He told the Echo: “Something needs to be done because it is me who has to take on the pain of losing her. My family will have to deal with this for the rest of our lives. No one else has to. The kids miss her so much. There are things a mother can do that I can't. A mother's love is unique and no one should be robbed of it."
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The mother-of-three complained about heavy vaginal bleeding and discomfort in February 2021 but after three visits to her GP, she was simply told that the pain was due to her contraceptive coil and that she was "young and shouldn't worry".
However, when Emma was admitted to the hospital a year later for her coil removal, she was told the devastating news that she had stage three cervical cancer. He continued: “She was collapsing and passing out because she was bleeding so heavily. But the GP was still telling her that she was young and that she should stop worrying.”
In February 2022, Emma was referred to Clatterbridge Cancer Centre for treatment. However, she experienced acute kidney damage after her first dose of chemotherapy and was forced to stop. But in January 2023 after undergoing a PET scan, Emma was given the devastating news that she only had months to live.
On June 29, 2023, Emma sadly passed away at St John's Hospice, at Clatterbridge Hospital, Wirral. Dava said the death of his “best friend” had changed his whole life. He said: “She was everything to me. My support. She was my best friend. She was amazing. Watching her as a mother was inspiring because she gave them so much love and cared for them so much.
“Even when she got sick, her main concern was for their emotional happiness. She wasn't concerned about her own fight. But nothing is the same, nothing. We are just trying to take it day by day.”
Dava, who met Emma when they were teens, spoke of the first time he saw her at college and said he just knew “she was the one.”
He continued: “She had a skirt and boots and a stripy orange top. But it wasn't what she was wearing that caught my attention. She could have been wearing anything. It was her eyes and a smile. She had lovely, beautiful green eyes.
“I just knew she was the one. I knew instantly we would be together.” The couple married shortly before Emma's death in a beautiful ceremony which saw multiple local businesses offer their services for free. This included a free venue and photography.
Dava is now continuing his wife's fight to raise awareness about the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer. Cervical screenings are currently recommended for people aged 25 and over, but Dava thinks it should begin earlier.
He continued: “I believe it should be lowered to 18 because cervical cancer starts with sexual activity. And our generation and below are not waiting until 21 to become sexually active. The lower age could be a huge benefit because even if testing is missed, doctors can still catch cancer at a stage that is preventable from death.”
Emma leaves behind three kids, David Junior, 11, Keeley-Mae, 10, and six-year-old Ariela.
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