A woman who developed genital warts was convinced she had herpes, only to later discover she was suffering from cancer.
Horse groomer Helen Fox, 43, has undergone 13 operations that involved slicing away large areas of her vagina in an effort to contain her life-threatening tumours.
Although Ms Fox had the cancer-affected skin cut away, repeated procedures have left her with just half a clitoris, with more of her vagina having to be removed in the future as she undergoes annual operations to prevent her cancer from reappearing.
The mother-of-two, from Hertfordshire, even accused her then-boyfriend of being unfaithful when she noticed the abnormal vaginal growths.
She said: ‘Your vulva is such an important part of womanhood and it being sliced away is so hard. But I’m not embarrassed. Why should I be? I’m proud of how well I’ve coped’.
Ms Fox is speaking out to encourage other women to check their intimate areas for abnormal growths.
