She Was Deemed “Too Young” at 24 to Get a Pap Test — and Then She Died From Cervical Cancer Just 4 Months After Her Wedding

At 24, life was near perfect for Dawn Weston. She was young, beautiful, in love
and planning her upcoming wedding with her fiancé, Dan. But the British
beauty’s life changed forever back in December 2012 when she experienced
excruciating back pain.

She did what any normal woman would do: Dawn booked a visit with her
gynecologist to check it out.
The doctor denied her a pap smear (a test given to check if there is cervical
cancer in women) because she was not yet 25, the minimum age to have the
procedure in Britain.
She visited several doctors before insisting on having the test. But it was too
late. The worst was confirmed — she had cervical cancer.
A few months later she underwent treatment, including internal and external
radiotherapy. In September 2013, she was given the all clear, but during a
routine check-up just two months later, the cancer had returned in full force
and in December, she was told it was terminal.

Sadly, Dawn passed away just four months later on May 22, 2014, leaving her

young widower without his true love. But Dan is determined that her death

won't be in vain and is doing everything in his power to lower the minimum

age for testing in the U.K.

“When Dawn began complaining of crippling back pain in 2013, she went to the

doctors, but she was never offered a smear test, because at 24 she was too

young,” he said.

“Before she was diagnosed, she was crying she was in so much pain with her

back. It took weeks before she had a smear test and by then it was too late.”

To learn more and help Dan’s cause, visit Dawn’s Just Giving page, set up by

her mother, Marie Weston.