Maria Schenkel is speaking out after discovering her persistent body odor was a warning sign of invasive breast cancer.
The Greenville, South Carolina mother of two, 42, spent weeks noticing an unpleasant smell she could not wash away, initially blaming her busy schedule with two young children. She told her story in an interview, hoping to alert other women who might dismiss similar symptoms.
“I remember thinking, ‘Why do I smell so bad?’, because I would have just showered, not sweat at all and then smell so BO,” she said. “But because I was busy working and raising a family, I ignored it all.”
The odor was not her only unexplained complaint. Schenkel also bruised with unusual ease, felt constant tightness in her chest, and battled crushing fatigue that eight or nine hours of sleep could not fix.
“I would wake up feeling like a bus had run over me,” she said. “I honestly thought that was just what turning 40 felt like.”
She also noticed her legs felt incredibly heavy, and she could not relax in the sun without feeling she needed to be productive. She attributed everything to being a tired young mom hitting middle age.
“If I sat in the sun, I couldn’t stay there, I always felt like I had to get up and be doing something,” she shared. “I just told myself I was a tired young mom.”
Schenkel admitted she had neglected her own health while focused on providing for her family. The turning point came in August 2024, when her four-year-old child accidentally pressed against her breast and the spot remained sore. She booked a medical appointment to be safe.
“I thought it was just dense breast tissue,” she said. “I really didn’t think it would be cancer, but I thought I should get checked anyway.”
Weeks later, doctors diagnosed her with invasive ductal carcinoma. The news stunned Schenkel, who had no family history of cancer and considered herself to live a healthy lifestyle.
“It came as a complete shock,” she said.
Now nearly two years past her diagnosis, Schenkel wants others to advocate for themselves when something feels wrong.
“If something doesn’t feel right, in your body, or with the results or solutions they give you, ask questions,” she said.