Australian Olympic and World swimming champion Ariarne Titmus has revealed she went under the knife after a growth was found on her ovary.
Titmus has become one of Australian swimming’s biggest names after she ended US legend Katie Ledecky’s stranglehold on the middle-distance events at the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games.
Titmus came away with gold medals in the 200m and 400m events, while Ledecky claimed gold ahead of the Aussie in the 800m.
The 23-year-old is a four-time world champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist and will hope to add to the latter tally at the Paris Games next year.
Sharing a picture of her from the hospital bed, Titmus revealed her terrifying ordeal on Instagram.
“Sometimes as an athlete, you think you’re immune to real-life health problems,” she started.
“We’re too busy keeping our body in check to perform and push ourselves day in and day out.
“For a while, I’ve been managing an ongoing hip injury, and 3 weeks ago I had an MRI to suss out exactly what was going on. Sure enough, there was a little something with the hip of which is completely manageable.
“However, it was something else that the doctors picked up on that made everything else seem irrelevant. A large growth was found on my right ovary.
“For anyone that knows me, they’d know I’d give up anything in the world to be a mother, it’s my biggest dream … so this was a scary time for me. Of course, in these moments you think of the worst-case scenario, and I was petrified of potentially losing the ovary or there being implications that could affect me and my desire to have children one day.
“However, I am one of the lucky ones. My ovary was 8.5×7cm in size and contained 2 benign tumors called dermoids, both 4cm in size. Yesterday I had surgery and they were removed safely. I’m feeling well and relieved they are out.”
According to the Australian government’s Healthdirect website, an ovarian dermoid cyst contains “different types of body tissue, such as hair, fat, skin, teeth and bone. They grow very slowly and are not cancerous.”
While dermoid cysts are common, they can have ramifications such as causing the ovary to twist on itself, although that is not common, or they may burst, according to a Western Sydney Local Health District fact sheet.
However, dermoid cysts are not associated with infertility.
Regardless though, any health issue can be a wake-up call and Titmus said she was lucky they were dealt with.
“Being an athlete is tough. Being a woman is tough. In the past month, I’ve learned more about my body and what it is capable of,” Titmus added.
“I’ve learned that being fit and healthy doesn’t mean you’re immune to these things. I feel blessed that I found these tumors before they got even bigger and started to have real implications for my health.
“Thank you to my family and those close to me for being there as support during a bit of a scary time. Thank you to the amazing doctors who safely got rid of my little ‘gremlins’ and took great care of me. Time to rest up and recover for a couple of weeks before we go again. Love you all.”
Aussie swimming legend Steph Rice commented: “What a challenging time sweetheart. I’m glad you’re feeling better and taking care of yourself xx”.
Former swimming star turned TV host Johanna Griggs posted: “Oh Ariane, I’m so sorry this is what you are going through, but I’m also so grateful for you sharing your experience …. your fears and worries … your vulnerability, as you will np doubt help so many others. I’m wishing you a speedy and full recovery for many more reasons than just what you are able to accomplish in a pool. (Which is already beyond awe-inspiring) Much Love.”
Winter Olympic champion Lydia Lassila said: “Oh wishing you health and a speedy recovery”.
Fellow Aussie swim star Brianna Throssell added: “Always here for you rest up, can’t wait to see you back at the pool when the time is right.”
