A mother has been diagnosed with incurable ovarian cancer despite having her ovaries removed as a preventative measure after losing both her mother and grandmother to the same disease. Aimee Knight, 50, from Bellevue, Washington, watched her mother, Diane Erklin, die of ovarian cancer in 2000 at age 46. Diane's own mother had also died from the illness years earlier.
Preventative Steps
After discovering a lump in her breast in 2015, Aimee learned she carried a mutation in the BRCA1 gene, significantly increasing her risk of breast and ovarian cancer. She underwent a full preventative mastectomy and had both ovaries surgically removed in 2015 and 2016. In 2020, her sister Colleen Erklin, 37, died of breast cancer, reinforcing Aimee's belief that she had made the right decision.
Devastating Diagnosis
In late 2025, Aimee noticed her stomach swelling and visited a doctor suspecting a prolapsed bladder. Instead, she was diagnosed with stage three ovarian cancer that had spread to her lymph nodes. Doctors told her that fragments of cells left behind during the removal surgery had turned cancerous. They gave her between two and five years to live, stating the condition is incurable.
Aimee said: "I saw what cancer did to my mom, my grandmother and great-grandmother. So when I got the test results that I had the mutated BRCA1 gene, I wanted all the risks removed. When the doctors did a scan of my stomach and told me there was a mass on my ovary, I said, 'that isn't right, I don't have an ovary!' I went through so much medically to prevent that happening to me, so I didn't expect that diagnosis at all."
Medical Trauma
Following her second procedure to remove both breasts in March 2016, Aimee experienced complications, including a surgical staple left inside her and loss of sensation in her nipples. She underwent reconstructive surgery in 2019 using tissue from her abdomen, resulting in scarring and dimpling. She said: "I was too medically traumatised to get any touch-ups. I was just happy to have what resembled breasts in the end."
Missed Warning Signs
Because of her preventative surgeries, warning signs of cancer, including trouble urinating, went undetected until the cancer reached stage 3a. While that stage is not traditionally considered terminal, her doctor warned that due to her BRCA1 gene, the cancer will return even if she achieves remission. Aimee requires six rounds of chemotherapy and medication to prolong her life.
Aimee said: "I truly thought we were cursed and I had broken the cancer curse by having my breasts and ovaries removed. I did all the preventative stuff which caused a lot of medical trauma - but I'll spend the rest of my life in hospital anyway. I can't believe I have ovarian cancer without even having ovaries. I thought I was safe."
