Getty Jessica Pettway.
Jessica Pettway was a YouTube beauty influencer who has died at age 36.
Her cause of death was cervical cancer, according to E Online. That’s a condition she opened up about on Instagram, writing that she was misdiagnosed.
Her sister Reyni Brown confirmed Pettway’s death in an Instagram post on March 15, according to E Online. Her page is private.
Pettway had more than 220,000 subscribers on her YouTube page, where she shared beauty and fashion tips.
Here’s what you need to know:
Jessica Pettway Revealed in an Instagram Post That Doctors Misdiagnosed Her With Fibroids
According to E Online, Brown wrote: “It’s my birthday today, and the only thing I could ever wish for is for God to bring you back on this earth. I lost my beautiful big sister 2 days ago and my heart has never felt pain like this.” She shared a photo showing her with Pettway, calling her “the most amazing, strong, confident” woman, E Online reported.
She added, “Life will never be the same without her crazy laugh, pranks, or jokes. Loosing [sic] a sibling feels like a connection between us was destroyed. I love you with all my heart,” E Online reported.
Pettway revealed her health issues in a lengthy Instagram post in July 2023.
“I took these photos a few days ago, and it’s currently my favorite photo of myself. It brings me so much joy to see how far I’ve come, because a few months ago I received devastating news. I was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer. I don’t even know where to begin, but I want to share why I’ve been gone for so long, in hopes that at least one person is encouraged by my story. So here it goes…” she wrote.
The post continued:
Last June, I was having intense vaginal bleeding. And when I say intense, I mean I was literally bleeding out. I called around and asked other women if they experienced this before and majority of them said they have. I thought, well maybe this is a ‘normal’ thing that women go through. I was experiencing extreme fatigue, weakness and just not feeling like myself. But again, I accepted this as a “normal” symptom that most women go through.
Well, on July 1st 2022 at 4am, my husband found me in the bathroom unresponsive and not breathing. I had literally passed away. He called on Jesus to bring me back and I came back. I was rushed to the hospital, where they told me that the extreme blood loss was due to ‘fibroids.’ My Gyno made it seem like it was so normal and common. I didn’t think much of it, however I was passing clots the size of a placenta, which was really alarming. They kept me overnight and released me the next day. Fast forward to July 22nd, I was hospitalized again for the same thing. Again, the medical professionals treated it like it was not that alarming since it was just a ‘fibroid.’
The bleeding eventually stopped, but was replaced with labor like pains. My life became so limited. On December 31st 2022, the bleeding came back. And it would not stop. I was hospitalized again January 7th and was there for a week. I was told I could not get surgery to remove this ‘fibroid’ due to my lack of blood supply. My hemoglobin level was at a 4. I had to receive 10 blood transfusions during my hospital stay. They recommended I do a biopsy.
In the Post, Jessica Pettway Explained That She Eventually Received a Cervical Cancer Diagnosis
In the Instagram post, Pettway explained that she eventually was diagnosed with cervical cancer.
The post says:
As I went in for my appointment, this doctor asked if she could just look down there first. She was the first to show some concern. I told her it was ok to check. It didn’t take her long before she looked at me and said, she could not even see my cervix because it was blocked by a huge mass. She scheduled me an appointment with an Oncologist thay following week. On February 8th 2023, he performed an out patient biopsy on me. When I woke up from the anesthesia, he casually said, ‘yep you have stage 3 cervical cancer.’ It turns out, it was not a fibroid, but cancer. I was misdiagnosed all this time.
I remember hearing that and immediately saying to myself, ‘I refuse to make an agreement with that diagnosis.’ And so I didn’t. Being told I have cancer didn’t devaste me. It was the reaction of those close to me. I knew that God is my healer and that no weapon formed against me, not even cancer, would prosper. I knew that I am more than a conqueror and that I will get through this.
However, the symptoms grew stronger. The hospital became my second home. By February 2023, I had had over 18 blood transfusions. 18!! I lost weight, I felt weak and overall couldn’t understand why. Why me Lord? What did I do to deserve this? Laying in the bed in agonizing pain, I cried out to God to show me what to do. Because at times I felt like death would just be an easier option. But then God showed me that what I was going through had nothing to do with what I did. He showed me that I was not alone and that He knew exactly how I felt. But most importantly, He had already provided the healing that I was seeking. He said, ‘My Spirit is in you. Which means My power is in you. Rest in my promises and believe that you are already healed.’
Well that was April 13th and I have not been back to the hospital. I have not had any blood transfusions since then. I gained my appetite back. I got up and out the bed. I gained my mobility. My faith grew significantly. And any time I felt my faith being attacked, I could hear God reminding me to LIVE. And that is exactly what I am doing. I am living, because the One who gave life abundantly lives in me.
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