Your Stories
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Your Stories
02 March 2018
Florence Wilks
Florence was diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer in 2010 and has undergone several rounds of gruelling chemotherapy and extensive surgery over the past eight years. She reflects on the moments that have been stolen from her, as well as the importance of finding joy, even in the hardest times.
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Your Stories
26 February 2018
Jo Stanford
OCA Cancer Prevention Officer Jo is our resident expert on all BRCA-related issues. She shares the pain of losing her beloved Mum to ovarian cancer and how genetic testing has enabled her to take control of her own future.
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Your Stories
01 February 2018
Darren Halmshaw
Darren lost his wife, Pamela, in October 2016 after a ten-year fight with ovarian cancer. He shares his story.
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Your Stories
23 January 2018
Katie Mumford: "I think about my risk of ovarian cancer, and the lack of screening available, every single day"
When Katie discovered she was BRCA2 positive, she knew immediately that she wanted to have preventative breast surgery to reduce her risk of breast cancer. However, the decision about when to remove her ovaries and the implications of doing so is proving to be more emotionally complex.
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Your Stories
08 December 2017
Maureen Powell: "I want to make the most of life and don’t want to miss out on all the wonderful experiences that it brings us"
Maureen was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer last year, aged 50. It has not been an easy journey but after taking part in a clinical trial, she is now in remission and intends to make the most of life.
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Your Stories
29 November 2017
Jo Blankley: "When I look back to that time, I realise how easy it would have been to have ignored my symptoms"
Jo Blankley was diagnosed with ovarian cancer aged 29. Eight years on from her diagnosis, she shares her story to encourage other women to listen to their bodies and to act on anything that doesn't feel right...
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Your Stories
08 November 2017
Kim Gray: "Cancer is not just a physical disease, but also a mental one"
Kim Gray was diagnosed with inoperable stage 4 ovarian cancer in Summer 2016. Now nine months post-chemo and still NED, (no evidence of disease), she hopes that sharing her story will give hope to other women who have just been diagnosed or are about to start their chemo or have surgery.
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Your Stories
28 September 2017
Sara Le-Surf: "The symptoms feel minor and before having it I’d never really heard of ovarian cancer."
Like many women, Sara put caring for others above her own health concerns and it didn't occur to her that her abdominal pain could be a sign of cancer
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Your Stories
27 September 2017
Madeleine Hudson: "Eight litres of fluid were drained from my stomach"
Madeleine Hudson was diagnosed with ovarian cancer earlier this year. It took a long time for her to realise that her aches, pains and rapid weight gain couldn't simply be attributed to her age or diet...
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Your Stories
19 September 2017
Janet Tindall: "I don’t know if being on the clinical trial made a difference or not but I certainly had very good results"
Janet was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2015, aged 68 and participated in an Avastin trial. She reflects on the challenges of treatment and her journey so far.
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Your Stories
19 September 2017
Debbie Sharp
Always determined to make the best of any situation, Debbie hopes that by sharing her ovarian cancer journey, from diagnosis through to treatment and surgery, will not only help other women in similar situations but also raise awareness of the symptoms.
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Your Stories
15 September 2017
Helen Hogg: "I was continually told that it was just the menopause"
Helen was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2007, aged 47. This month, 10 years after her diagnosis, she will trek part of the Great Wall of China in aid of Ovarian Cancer Action.
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Your Stories
21 August 2017
Sam Schinkel
After Sam's father was diagnosed with breast cancer in September 2013 and tested positively for the BRCA gene mutation, Sam and her brother also decided to get tested.
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Your Stories
16 August 2017
Paula Cann: "I’m so grateful that I went to my GP as soon as I noticed something wasn’t right"
Paula Cann was experiencing the classic symptoms of ovarian cancer but she was diagnosed with a cyst that was only removed due to its size. Two weeks later she discovered that the cyst was cancerous and that she needed chemotherapy...
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Your Stories
20 July 2017
Laura Roberts: "I still find that most people are surprised I got the genetic mutation from my dad"
Laura Roberts is 39 and has a BRCA1 mutation. She found out she was BRCA1+ about 14 years ago when she was tested for the gene at the Royal Marsden hospital in London.
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Your Stories
30 June 2017
Caroline Raphael: " I assumed that it was irritable bowel syndrome, and so did my doctor"
Caroline went to the doctor after she started having stomach cramps. Fortunately she was referred quickly, meaning her ovarian cancer was caught at an early stage. She shares her story in the hope of encouraging other women to act on unusual symptoms quickly.
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Your Stories
10 May 2017
Louise M
Louise discovered she had the BRCA gene mutation when she took part in a project for Ashkenazi Jews, for whom the risk of having the mutation is 1 in 40, compared with between 1 in 400 to 1 in 800 in the general population.
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Your Stories
09 April 2017
Karen Holden: "Cancer doesn't have to be such a scary word"
Karen, 49, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in October and is now in remission. She shares her experience of diagnosis and chemotherapy.
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Your Stories
05 April 2017
Chris Treanor: " I was taken to theatre and woke up to be told I'd had a hysterectomy and my omentum had been removed"
Chris first experienced symptoms of ovarian cancer in October 2007 aged 51. She credits the vigilance of her GP for her early diagnosis.
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Your Stories
05 April 2017
Amanda Cawthorn: "My CA125 blood tests were still normal"
Amanda was diagnosed with ovarian cancer aged 42 but didn’t have the normal symptoms. It was a persistent cough that kept taking her back to her GP.