Shakeya Allen’s Fight Against Uterine Cancer: A Misdiagnosis, A Miscarriage, and a Mission to Raise Awareness

At just 27 years old, Shakeya Allen sensed something was wrong with her health, but it wasn’t until she suffered a miscarriage that she received a devastating diagnosis.

Doctors initially dismissed her concerns, assuring her that uterine cancer was rare in women under 40. “They said, ‘Don’t worry. Women under 40 do not get uterine cancer. It’s not a concern. It’s probably just a pre-cancer,’” Allen recalled in an interview with NBC6.

Refusing to be unheard, Allen insisted on a biopsy, which confirmed her worst fear—she had uterine cancer. “That was a big blow, because I was only 27, and I had imagined having children and all that kind of stuff,” she said. Determined to fight for her own life and raise awareness, she became an advocate for others facing the same battle.

Allen highlighted the lack of awareness surrounding the disease. “I would say that about 95% of the women that I speak with had no idea that the normal pap did not detect uterine cancer,” she said. Unlike cervical cancer, which can be detected through a Pap smear, uterine cancer requires a biopsy or ultrasound for diagnosis. The symptoms are often subtle, with abnormal bleeding being one of the key warning signs.