'At age 30, I've had to have a third of my vagina removed.'

“We go for our smear tests every three years like we are supposed to and then we will be fine, right?”

For 30-year-old mum-of-two Gemma Patten who was diagnosed with cervical cancer in May this year and forced to undergo life-saving surgery, regularly having pap-smears throughout her life didn’t mean she was immune from the disease.

Upon hearing the news, Patten underwent surgery to remove part of her cervix and her pelvic lymph nodes in one of the most rare cases of cervical cancer the UK has seen.

In fact, doctors at Patten’s London hospital Doctors said the cancer is so rare they only see one case every two years, and only about 20 people a year are diagnosed with this cancer in the UK.

Since both her diagnosis and the surgery, Patten has spent much of her recovery writing about her illness in a bid to raise awareness and encourage other women to check themselves out.

Via her own Facebook page, and another page she has set up as a means of addressing each stage of her recovery, Patten has drawn a legion of followers who are also now committed the cause.

In an interview with The Sun/Press Association, Patten said the surgery was a tough experience, but one she understood was necessary.

“It’s like a part of me has been taken away," she said.

“To not have that any more is strange, but I know I have to look at the positive side that it’s helped to save my life.”

More than that, Patten wrote on her Facebook page that nothing was harder than thinking about how her children would survive without her.

"The thought of not being there for them as they grew up absolutely killed me. I am their mother and they need me. They were my inspiration, they made me fight, they made me stronger," she wrote.

Patten first noticed something was awry when she began bleeding between periods. When faced with the knowledge that the disease was aggressive, Patten and partner Joshua Archibon opted for a trachelectomy, which meant surgeons removing a third of her vagina that contained the disease.

At this point in time, Patten is undergoing chemotherapy to ensure all the cancerous cells are removed.

Despite the fact her journey isn't quite over, Patten's ability to be open and honest about her journey has meant so much to so many others.

"I have had hundreds of messages from strangers asking me for advice and saying that my story has encouraged them to get their symptoms checked out," she wrote on Facebook.

"This is the reason why I chose to share my personal story with the world, to help people. I honestly believe this has happened to me for a reason, I have cancer for a reason. That reason is to spread awareness and to potentially save lives."

You can follow Gemma's journey on Facebook here.

Ovarian cancer is another cancer that affects women: know the facts.