Melanie Verwoerd was in hospital for a routine gynaecological check-up in the summer of 2021 when her doctor suddenly went silent. Looking intently at the screen, her voice grew serious as she asked: “Oh, what do we have here?”

After a cancer scare and radical surgery, Melanie Verwoerd tells Liadán Hynes about her anger with medical misogny, a journey to confront her past, and why Gerry Ryan is still the love of her life

The doctor turned to Melanie and hold her she’d need to go for a blood test immediately. What had started out as a routine medical appointment had suddenly taken a dark turn. The doctor had seen some- thing on the ovarian ultrasound that war- ranted further investigation…