Toyah Myall, 33, put off her test for years, but finally decided to ‘put on my big girl pants’
A mother is sending out a crucial message urging women not to skip their smear tests after she was diagnosed with cervical cancer, having neglected hers for eight years. Toyah Myall, 33, admitted being “scared” of the test, but eventually braved it in February 2025.
After enduring “two minutes of being uncomfortable”, Toyah, a mother of four, was shocked when a call came two weeks later informing her of abnormal cancer cells detected during the test. Following a biopsy in March 2025, she was confirmed to have squamous cell carcinoma, one of the types of cervical cancer.
Toyah underwent two laser treatments and joyfully received the all-clear by May 2025. Now dedicated to spreading awareness, she wants to ensure others do not delay their smear tests as she did.
Toyah, a charity shop volunteer from Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, said: “People make it seem like it’s this big scary thing, I put it off for years. It got to the point where I thought I’ve got to go and put on my big girl pants.”
She received the daunting news about her smear test revealing abnormal cells on February 27. Subsequently, Toyah attended a colposcopy appointment on March 6 and was diagnosed just 20 days afterwards.
Her first round of laser treatment was on March 27 and her second on April 22. After the latter procedure, Toyah began feeling unwell, recounting: “I was shaking. I was really hot.”
In a turn of events, she was rushed via ambulance to Stoke Mandeville Hospital and treated for a urine infection. Once recovered and sent home with antibiotics, Toyah celebrated being declared cancer-free on May 23.
Toyah has made it her mission to spread the word about the importance of health check-ups, revealing: “All I want to do is raise awareness. That two minutes saved my life. I had no other symptoms.”
Toyah is set to undergo annual smear tests for several years as a precautionary measure, with the hope of being given the all-clear in six months.
Expressing the emotional toll the experience has taken, she remarked: “It has been a rollercoaster. I can’t stress how important it is. I’ll keep banging on about it.”