Couple receive cancer diagnoses after man’s results prompted woman to get tested

Diane Boothby, 63, decided to invest in a private scan to assess symptoms following her husband’s colon cancer diagnosis just months earlier

A husband and wife discovered they both had cancer after his diagnosis prompted them to get checked out.

After her husband’s colon cancer diagnosis, Diane Boothby, 63, decided she would invest in a private scan to assess the symptoms.

She was shocked to discover she was suffering from ovarian cysts.

Her husband, Paul Boothby, 69, was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer in August 2021 and underwent surgery in September to treat the tumour.

Meanwhile, Diane began seeking counselors while her husband prepared for surgery – and in January 2022, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

The couple, from Downham Market in Norfolk, who have two daughters and four grandchildren, are both now in remission.

Diane said: “We’re traumatized right now – we both feel more emotional and traumatized about it than we did when we went through it.

“I went from caring for someone with cancer to caring for someone with cancer — and Paul went from caring for someone with cancer to caring for someone with cancer.

“You have to challenge your feelings to be diagnosed — if I had left it and left, who knows what might have happened.”

Paul received his diagnosis after a routine check-up – feeling more tired than usual but didn’t believe he had stage three cancer.

After being diagnosed in August 2021, he underwent surgery in September of the same year to remove his intestines and began chemotherapy.

Diane has been struggling with her own health issues for some time, including severe gas and bloating, which has been attributed to diverticulitis – an inflammation of the gut.

However, Paul urged her to spend the £190 on a private scan and to her shock she discovered she had ovarian cysts.

It wasn’t until she underwent surgery in December 2021 to confirm the cause of the cysts and remove her ovaries and fallopian tubes that doctors determined Diane did indeed have mild ovarian cancer.

To remove the rare cancer, she underwent a total hysterectomy in her second operation in March.

Now the couple are both cancer free and recovering from their ordeal.

Diane said: “Paul’s stage three colon cancer was diagnosed on a routine check-up – he had no symptoms other than severe fatigue.

“Luckily he’s always had the check-ups since he was 60 and they’ve usually been fine, it was just the last one – we were shocked because we didn’t expect it at all.

“He was diagnosed in August and had surgery in September to remove his intestines and a round of chemotherapy.

“I had been struggling for quite a while and kept saying there was something wrong with me – I had an enlarged stomach from gas and was referred to the gut team to see if I needed a colonoscopy.

“I saw a lot of people and didn’t get anywhere until Paul pushed me and said, ‘Right, go for a private scan’ – so that’s what I did.

“It cost £190 and was worth every penny.

“When I asked for a gynecological referral, I was referred through the normal route until I went for a private scan.

“After the scan I had all the evidence that I had ovarian cysts and I contacted my doctor to say I needed an urgent referral.

“I was taken on my two week route to be checked out at the hospital and they thought it might have been an endometrial cyst, although I also had elevated levels of CA125 in my blood which may be indicative of ovarian cancer.

“I was only diagnosed with cancer in January of this year – I had to have two surgeries because they didn’t know if it was definitely cancer.

“I was very fortunate – my first surgery was to remove the ovaries and fallopian tubes and my second surgery was a total hysterectomy and debulking surgery and I am now cancer free too.

“Paul says he felt numb from the experience, while I talk about it a lot, but we both understand how the other is feeling, which was good – he says I can understand when no one else can.

“We’re not back to what we call normal life yet because Paul had to isolate in December which meant we couldn’t celebrate Christmas with the family, but at least this year we’ll be here.

“We would like to thank the cancer charities and hospitals that have supported us – The Big C, Macmillan and Overcan.

“We’ve been married 43 years and haven’t celebrated our last wedding anniversary yet – we still have a lot to celebrate.”