However, what’s really sad about her story is that doctors had essentially misdiagnosed her. Pettway had revealed that when she went to the doctors after experiencing symptoms of extreme fatigue, and severe vaginal bleeding and they told her that she had uterine fibroids.
Fibroids are benin tumors that form in a woman’s uterus and it is very common in african american. 50% of women will be diagnosed with fibroids by the age of 35.
after being hospitalized because of the bleeding, it was later revealed that her fibroids were in fact cervical cancer.
Studies show that women and minorities are 20 to 30 percent more likely to experience medical misdiagnosis compared to white men.
Jessica Pettway is survived by her husband of twelve years and her two children ages, 10 and 3.
Let’s keep Pettway’s family in our thoughts and prayers.