A woman in the United States, who had no idea she was living with advanced cancer, ended up having multiple organs removed in a desperate bid to save her life.
Louise Altese-Isidori, 50, said she had always been praised for how healthy and vibrant she looked. She maintained a happy lifestyle and never experienced any troubling symptoms. Beneath that outward appearance, however, she was silently battling ovarian cancer — a disease that is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths among women, according to the American Cancer Society.
For years, Louise’s condition went undetected. The only reason doctors eventually caught it was because she listened to her fertility doctor’s recommendation to undergo a transvaginal sonogram every six months. Another physician had once told her these tests were “unnecessary,” but Louise thought, why not? Doing them once a year seemed like no big deal. That small decision likely saved her life.
In October 2024, during what was supposed to be a routine check, her doctor spotted a large cyst on one ovary. Louise hadn’t felt a thing — no pain, no discomfort. Out of caution, her doctor ordered an Ova1 blood test to determine if the cyst was cancerous. The results came back negative. A second test a month later also returned negative.
Even so, the cyst remained. Her doctor advised her to have her ovaries removed as a precaution. When the surgeon reviewed her ultrasound, something seemed off.
“I don’t want to scare you, because your test results are negative, but I don’t like the way this looks,” the doctor told her, according to the New York Post. “We need to schedule your surgery as soon as possible.”
On December 20, Louise went in expecting a straightforward operation. But when she woke up, she was delivered devastating news: her abdomen was riddled with cancer.
“When he went in, he could see that I was filled with cancer,” Louise recalled. “I was in total shock. I kept waiting for someone to tell me they had made a mistake.”
A biopsy confirmed Stage 4B ovarian cancer — meaning it had already spread beyond her ovaries to multiple organs.
Within days, she was admitted to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York under the care of Dr. Dennis Chi, chief of the Ovarian Cancer Surgery Section.
Louise underwent an extensive surgery that removed her spleen, appendix, gallbladder, uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, and the lining of her stomach. Cancer had also spread to her colon, liver, and chest. Though part of her liver and colon were spared, she was left needing a colostomy bag to collect waste through a small abdominal opening.
She spent 18 days in the hospital recovering. “I told myself, enough of the pity party — there’s still a lot left for me to do,” Louise said.
A week later, she began chemotherapy, describing it as “mental warfare.” Despite the grueling battle, Louise remained determined.
Recently, she underwent another surgery to remove the colostomy bag. Not long after, her CA 125 test — which measures a protein linked to ovarian cancer — showed her levels had returned to normal.
“I’m technically in remission,” Louise said proudly. “My hair is starting to grow back, and I feel good.”
Still, the fight isn’t over. The Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance warns that recurrence rates for Stage 4 patients can be as high as 95 percent. Louise is realistic but hopeful.
“To think I’ve beaten this forever after just seven months would be silly. But today, I’m okay,” she said. She is now taking a PARP inhibitor, a targeted therapy designed to slow or stop the cancer’s return.
Her mission now is to inspire others.
“I want to redefine the face of Stage 4 cancer,” Louise said. “I want people to understand that life doesn’t end with a diagnosis — you can still live fully, even with scars, even with a colostomy bag. There is hope.”
She added: “Maybe I went through this so another woman won’t have to. If my story helps even one person, then it was worth sharing.”
Doctors emphasize that, unlike Louise, many women do experience symptoms of ovarian cancer — but they’re often vague and easily overlooked. Warning signs may include bloating, fatigue, feeling full quickly, changes in bowel or bladder habits, and persistent pain in the pelvis, back, or abdomen.