It's a cancer we don't often hear about. But in 2011 alone, it's estimated as many as 5,400 Canadians will be diagnosed with bladder cancer.
Annalee Leganchuk ,a Saskatoon woman, is all too familiar with the disease. Her journey started when she noticed abdominal pain and bleeding during her pregnancy with her son.
"I'd go in, and they couldn't find where the bleed was coming from," says Leganchuk. "I was complaining when I'd urinate , it would be this electrocution kind of feeling. I'd ask them ‘what's going on, this isn't normal.' And they'd say ‘we don't have any answers for you'."
Doctors told her she likely had an ovarian cyst, or a urinary tract infection. They even went as far as removing her gall bladder. But as the baby grew, her symptoms got worse. And after her son was born, the bleeding never stopped. Leganchuk went through a series of tests, including an ultrasound before doctors could determine what was wrong.
"They came in and they told me they found a lesion on my cervix, and a mass on my bladder."
Her urologist took a closer look at the mass and made the diagnosis. The 35-year-old mother of three was told she had an extremely rare and aggressive form of bladder cancer.
"I instantly lost all my breath, I just had a four-month-old baby at home, my daughter was two and my son was 11."
Leganchuk scoured the internet in search of support and ended up finding Bladder Cancer Canada. After doing her own research and talking with bladder cancer survivors, she decided to have her entire bladder removed.
Nine months later she is cancer free. Leganchuk had a urostomy, and now lives with an external bag that holds her urine. She's sharing her story in hopes of helping others.
"If you have pain while you're going to the bathroom, if you have a sense of urgency and you can't go. If you feel like something's wrong. Don't let anyone tell you it's in your head," says Leganchuk. "And don't be afraid to talk about below the belt."
