Crowned Miss Pas-de-Calais and first runner-up to Miss Europe 2023, Agathe Cauet recalls a traumatic episode in her life: the discovery of a 9 kg tumor when she was only 17 years old.
Today a nurse, but also a model and first runner-up to Miss Europe 2023, Agathe Cauet has a busy life. But a few years ago, when she was 17, she was discovered to have a 9 kg tumor in her ovary. For TipsForWomens, she tells her story.
What is a borderline tumor, like the one that affected you at the age of 17?
Agathe Cauet: I had a borderline tumor attached to my right ovary. It is a tumor that is half malignant, half benign. The discovery was a bit vague and fortuitous. My stomach was just a little swollen, I talked about it with my mother, who thought it was nothing. I ended up seeing a doctor, who didn’t seem very concerned, but who still offered to do an ultrasound, to make sure everything was okay. Once the ultrasound was done, he told me: “There’s something wrong“. I knew that there was in fact a tumor. I subsequently consulted an oncologist, who told me that I might have to do chemo.
How do you react at that moment?
Agathe Cauet: I reacted, as I think everyone would react, which is to say that I didn’t believe it. I said to myself : “No it is not possible”. Then as things progressed, I questioned everything, I was angry too, I wondered why it was happening like that… Then finally we are forced to accept things. And forced to accept the illness.
How was your treatment afterwards?
Agathe Cauet: From the announcement of the illness to the recovery, there were the examinations, then the operation. I came out on morphine, after four hours and with 10 kg less. Seeing your body with a scar and 10 kg less is not easy. Besides, seeing the scar in the mirror is always complicated, it’s still a complex.
How did you feel afterwards?
Agathe Cauet: My feelings during the illness were above all injustice, I let myself be carried by my parents and the medical profession, I could do nothing other than accept. I was still lucky, because I didn’t have to do chemotherapy. But I still underwent a major operation with the removal of my right ovary and my right fallopian tube. In the end, it transformed me and that’s what gave me my vocation as a nurse. Today, I am better and I want to help those who are not doing well.
Watch the entire interview with Agathe Cauet on video.