Your Stories
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Personal experiences
01 March 2021
Pamela: "I’m sharing my experience to help highlight the importance of an early diagnosis and effective treatment"
Pamela Bonati was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2018 at the age of 78. She was fast-tracked by her GP for a swift diagnosis and quickly began a combination of surgery and chemo to treat the disease. Find out how Pamela is sharing her story to ensure all women, despite their age, receive the same standard of care.
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"I just thought of my Mum and all those other women fighting ovarian cancer." - Jack
11 year old Jack Carson ran 43 miles during February half term for Ovarian Cancer Action because he wanted to “support women and girls, like my Mum.” He tells us his story.
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Jacqui: "Forewarned is forearmed"
Not long after she was diagnosed with breast cancer, Jacqui began to trace her family history which led her to discover she had a BRCA1 gene mutation and a sister she never knew she had.
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Teal warrior: Michelle's story
Mum of two grown up children, Michelle, shares her story of how her cancer diagnosis and family history led to her learning of her genetic risk.
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Rosie shares her story: Ovarian Cancer Action’s BBC Lifeline Appeal
This is Rosie, a 70-year-old retired pharmacist from Hertfordshire, who unknowingly inherited the BRCA1 gene mutation from her mum. Rosie will be sharing her story as part of Ovarian Cancer Action's BBC Lifeline Appeal on 31st January.
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Laura shares her story: Ovarian Cancer Action's BBC Lifeline Appeal
Meet Laura, a primary school teacher from North London who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer after she was originally misdiagnosed with IBS. Now she shares her story as part of Ovarian Cancer Action's BBC Lifeline Appeal.
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Suzie shares her story: Ovarian Cancer Action’s BBC Lifeline Appeal
Meet Suzie, and actress and singer who was diagnosed with a very rare and aggressive ovarian cancer. She is now trying to get support for immunotherapy treatment, which is not provided on the NHS. Suzie will be sharing her story as part of Ovarian Cancer Action's BBC Lifeline Appeal on 31st January.
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Loved ones
26 December 2020
“Our efforts will be for our daughters, and for women everywhere” Libby.
Libby sadly lost her friend Elaine to ovarian cancer in 2019. In her memory, she is organising a New Year’s Eve walk on one of Elaine’s favourite routes to raise money and awareness for the disease. This is Elaine’s story.
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Loved ones
07 December 2020
Head shave for Sian
Harriet and Tatiana have been best friends through thick and thin, including when Tatiana’s mum, Sian, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. To prevent others from going through this experience, Harriet has shaved her head to raise awareness of the disease.
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Personal experiences
06 December 2020
Tiffany Basson: “At 17, my life was about to change dramatically”
Tiffany found out she had ovarian cancer when she was still a teenager, after months of doctors dismissing her symptoms. Now 30, she reflects on what it was like to be a young person coping with a cancer diagnosis. Read her story below.
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Personal experiences
02 December 2020
Lucky number 13
Lillian and two more generations of women in her family have been affected by cancer. Now, her family have set up an online clothing shop, 13 Shop, to support the research that could save other women from the disease.
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Loved ones
02 December 2020
Catherine: "My wish is that no one else dies from undiagnosed peritoneal cancer."
Catherine lost her mum Alison to primary peritoneal cancer in 2012. Eight years on, she’s ready to share her story in the hope she can help others survive the disease.
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Kirsty: “My wish for the future, is that together we can make ovarian cancer a disease every woman survives.”
Kirsty Chisholm was diagnosed with a rare form of ovarian cancer at just 29 years old. At the time, she and her husband were newly married and couldn’t wait to start their family. But they soon realised it wasn’t going to be that simple.
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Emma: "Never in my life did I think it would be me, especially not at 20"
It all started earlier in the year when I developed symptoms like having to get up to wee a lot during the night, feeling sick all the time and losing my appetite. The doctors and I both put it down to IBS, never in my life did I think it would be cancer.
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Carla: “A new chapter awaits”
In 2014, Carla was diagnosed with a BRCA1 gene mutation and made the decision to have a risk-reducing mastectomy. Fast forward to 2020, Carla shares an honest and open account of how she's feeling on the day before her next surgery.
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Jo Peek: “Everyone should have the opportunity to know what their genetic history is – it can save lives”
Jo explains what an unexpected opportunity to get a BRCA mutation test meant to her and generations of her family.
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Aimi Munro: Moving on
Over the last seven years, Aimi had preventative surgeries to lower her chances of being diagnosed with breast and ovarian cancer. She shares why she chose surgery at the times she did, and how the decisions she made were right for her plans for a family.
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Charlie Morgan: Tits up! Finding the positive in a BRCA mutation
When Charlie was diagnosed with a BRCA2 mutation aged 20, she wanted to find and connect with other younger women who understood what she was going though and the options that lay ahead. Charlie shares her story and the experiences that led her to create the supportive community The BRCA Project.
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Rabbi Oliver: “The BRCA gene mutation is much more prevalent in the Ashkenazi Jewish community."
By sharing his story, Rabbi Oliver hopes to help prevent cancer in Jewish communities.
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Gift Hamisi: "We don’t often hear the stories of people who have tested negative, that is why I share mine"
Back in 2018, Gift was awaiting the results of a BRCA gene test, which would tell her whether or not she had inherited the same genetic mutation as her mother and a heightened risk of cancer. Almost two years on, Gift shares what happened next
