Jessica had intense vaginal bleeding. She was told it was 'normal' and 'common'.

Jessica Pettway, an American fashion and beauty influencer with over 250,000 subscribers on YouTube, has passed away at the age of 36.

Her death comes nearly nine months after publicly announcing she had been diagnosed with stage 3 cervical cancer, following more than a year of symptoms and a misdiagnosis.

"Last June, I was having intense vaginal bleeding. And when I say intense, I mean I was literally bleeding out," Jessica shared in February 2023. 

"I called around and asked other women if they experienced this before and majority of them said they have. I thought, well maybe this is a 'normal' thing that women go through. I was experiencing extreme fatigue, weakness and just not feeling like myself."

Watch: Cervical cancer — what you need to know. Post continues below.

Throughout 2022, Jessica experienced multiple episodes of ill health, which landed her in hospital several times. However, each time, doctors told her not to worry and diagnosed her with non-cancerous fibroids.

It wasn't until February last year that she said a doctor discovered a "huge mass" covering her cervix and referred her to an oncologist to perform a biopsy.

"When I woke up from the anesthesia (sic), [the oncologist] casually said, 'Yep, you have stage 3 cervical cancer'," wrote Jessica. 

"It turns out, it was not a fibroid, but cancer. I was misdiagnosed all this time."

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A post shared by Jessica Pettway (@jessicapettway)

She chose to share her journey publicly "in hopes that at least one person is encouraged by my story."

Her words struck a chord with several women, who urged others to advocate for their own health whenever they feel something isn't right.

"Please listen to your body and if one doctor doesn't take you seriously go to another until you get an answer," wrote one commenter.

"So sorry you suffered unnecessarily," wrote another. "We must do better."

Jessica's sister Reyni announced her passing on Instagram, writing: "It's my birthday today, and the only thing I could ever wish for is for God to bring you back on this earth. I lost my beautiful big sister two days ago, and my heart has never felt pain like this."

Reyni remembered her sister as "amazing, strong, confident" and someone "with so much wisdom, prayed for me, and helped me become a better mother."

Jessica joined YouTube over a decade ago in 2013, sharing nearly 450 videos and accumulating over 225,000 subscribers. 

She leaves behind a husband and two young daughters.

According to Cancer Council, over 900 Australians were diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2023, with the main symptoms being vaginal bleeding between periods, pain during intercourse, pelvic pain and vaginal bleeding after menopause. 

Women can significantly increase their chances of discovering it early by staying up-to-date with their cervical screen tests.

Feature Image: Instagram @jessicapettway.