A young Kiwi mum is facing the prospect of missing out on raising her son after being diagnosed with incurable cervical cancer.  

Christchurch-born Milly Mitchell, 27, says she can’t even pick up her 4-year-old son George to comfort him, as she faces an early death she believes could have been prevented.  

Mitchell and fiancé Declan Legge moved to Adelaide in June 2022 with George for a fresh start and to be closer to Mitchell’s family. 

Milly Mitchell and her son George. 

The 27-year-old mum’s symptoms began in August 2022 and she immediately knew something was not right. 

She had prolonged heavy periods, losing so much blood she had to have transfusions, and had chronic urinary tract infections. She begged five doctors to take her seriously but was told her previous diagnosis of endometriosis was to blame. 

Another doctor told her she was “far too young to even consider having gynaecological cancer”. 

Mitchell was finally diagnosed with stage three cervical cancer in July 2023. It had spread to her pelvis and lymph nodes and she immediately undertook “brutal” rounds of chemotherapy and radiation. 

When treatment finished in October, she waited six months for a follow-up scan to see if the cancer had cleared. 

But days later, even before she had the results, she took herself to the emergency department with intense back pain. The doctor confirmed what she already knew; the cancer had spread to her spine and lungs. 

“I just burst into tears and I said, ’I’m not upset about the pain ... I’m just upset that I can’t be the mother that I could be to my son at the moment’.” 

She was given a stage-four diagnosis and told her treatment was going to be palliative. 

Mitchell and her partner Declan Legge. 

Mitchell will undergo five rounds of radiation, intense chemotherapy and immunotherapy. These are life-prolonging measures, but her cancer cannot be cured. 

The tumours growing on her spine make it nearly impossible for her to walk and move, robbing her of the chance to be active with her little pre-schooler. 

“I just feel horrible because I am that mum that plays with him at the playground and I am that mum that gets down into the toy box with him and we colour and we paint and then all of a sudden I can’t, and he doesn’t understand why,” Mitchell said. 

Milly Mitchell is distraught that she cannot play with her young son - or even pick him up now. 

Mitchell wants to raise awareness about her condition and is urging young women to get a pap smear regularly. 

She also wants to encourage women to challenge their doctors when their concerns are not being acted on. 

“I think if I was actually listened to and doctors investigated further, I do not think that I would be as far as I am,” Mitchell said. 

A GoFundMe page has been started to help pay for her expensive pain medication and her son’s daycare costs. 

“When push comes to shove and I go through treatment a second time, my family will be needing all the help and support we can get,” Mitchell said. 

Rachel Maher is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. She has worked for the Herald since 2022. 

This article was originally published on the NZ Herald here.