To be a woman in the US medical system is, for lack of a better word, violent. Women’s pain and suffering is often routinely deprioritized, especially for minority women. It’s sobering to say the least, but at least these days, more of us are speaking out about our experiences as women in the health care system.
A recent study revealed that women were 66.1% more likely than men to receive a misdiagnosis in the last two years. It’s a statistic I’ve personally lived. So many symptoms I’ve experienced have been chalked up to my weight, when in reality I’ve been living with multiple chronic illnesses, including PCOS. It’s a frustrating and expensive endeavor to be your own advocate.
And it’s a lesson teen Liliana “Lili” Castaneda learned the hard way. According to People, Lili, 14 at the time, thought she was getting her first period during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. But what began as spotting turned into daily bleeding. She bled so much that she was soaking through menstrual pads in just 15 minutes. She often got dizzy when standing up, leading her to seek help from her doctor.
The diagnosis? “Just stress,” according to a press release.
A month before her 15th birthday, doctors finally reevaluated her case. The truth? She had clear cell carcinoma, a rare form of cancer.
“I heard it,” Castaneda, now 19, told Today. “But I didn’t really understand it.”
What makes her story even more heartbreaking is that Lili had already been diagnosed with Turner syndrome, a rare genetic condition where a female is missing all or part of one X chromosome. One major implication of Turner syndrome is that the ovaries do not fully develop, meaning Lili would never naturally menstruate.
At 14, Liliana Castaneda was diagnosed with a rare vaginal cancer — typically seen in women over 60. Today, she’s cancer-free and studying to become a nurse. @NorthwesternMed @LurieCancer @NM_ObGyn #GynecologicCancerAwarenessMonth
— NM Media Relations (@NMHC_News) September 17, 2025
PRESS RELEASE: https://t.co/A6A11pqguz pic.twitter.com/mT7LlNzhUc
Still, despite her diagnosis, the doctor told her it was likely her first period. Then, they put her on birth control to “regulate” the bleeding. After another month of daily bleeding, doctors finally conducted an examination. A biopsy revealed the rare cancer — and a tumor the size of a golf ball.
Dr. Dario Roque, a gynecological oncologist at Northwestern Medicine who treated Lili after she sought a second opinion, says this case should never have gotten this far.
“That should have really never been on the differential diagnosis or the potential possibilities,” Roque told Today. “Their ovaries are not working, so they don’t go into menarche.”
In other words, a basic understanding of her genetic condition should have made it clear from day one that this wasn’t a period.
After multiple rounds of treatment, Lili has been cancer-free since 2021 and plans to use her painful experience to help others.
“I can’t wait to become a nurse and help other kids navigate their medical journey,” she said.
