Doctor shortage leads to late cancer diagnosis for young Ottawa woman

A 21-year-old Ottawa woman is sharing her story after her lack of a family doctor led to a late stage cancer diagnosis.

In January, Josephine Crone, a student at Trent University, was diagnosed with stage four Hodgkin’s lymphoma, an aggressive type of blood cancer.

• Sign up now for our nightly CTV News Ottawa newsletter
• The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App

"From one day to the next, I was worried about doing well in school and if that boy liked me back and suddenly I was worried for my life," Crone said.

Looking back, she wonders how things might have been different if she had a family doctor.

"I think about that a lot actually," said Crone. "I had lost about 40 to 50 pounds in a short amount of time and no one really noticed. I wondered what would have happened if I had gone in sooner and if I had access to regular checkups."

After her family doctor retired, her parents say they searched for years without success. Eventually, it was a campus doctor that lead to her diagnosis.

"With stage four cancer, the treatment has to be aggressive," said her mother Nathalie Schiebel.

"Had she been diagnosed earlier, it would not have been such an intensive experience for her."

Crone underwent twelve rounds of chemotherapy every two weeks for six months and says the only thing that got her through was her sense of humour and her love for Taylor Swift.

"I have a Taylor Swift song for every part of my cancer experience," said Crone. "I sang Clean to my mom in the hospital and the only thing I could do to not cry from the amount of pain I was in was to keep singing."

Crone now in remission but is waiting for a second scan next month to confirm it.

With a shortage of doctors in the province, the Ontario Medical Association says stories like hers are becoming more common.

"This is an important issue that our politicians need to understand as to why it impacts people on such a critical degree and why we need to demand better," said Dr. Andrew Park, president of the Ontario Medical Association.

As for Crone, there’s just one thing she’s hoping to cross off her Christmas wish list – to see her idol in concert next Nov. 22 on her 22nd birthday.

"Taylor Swift helps people a lot in their lives and I think that’s a really beautiful thing," said Crone.