Your Stories
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Sam Schinkel: "I knew about my high risk so I could do something about it"
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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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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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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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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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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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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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.
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Aimi Munro
Aimi describes the life-changing decisions she has had to face since discovering she is a BRCA1 carrier
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Anita Leslau's story
Anita Leslau was diagnosed with stage three ovarian cancer when she was 72 years old. In 2017, she told us her story.
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Carrie Sellings
Carrie's aunt Sonia was 47 when she passed away in 2014, after being diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian Cancer in 2010.
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Lisa Arthurs
Diagnosed with ovarian cancer at just 22, Lisa is now in recovery and keen to move forward with her life.
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Fiona Murphy: "I had my appendix, omentum and a small piece of my bowel removed"
Fiona was just 25 when she was diagnosed with a rare type of ovarian cancer. She had no family history and the symptoms she was experiencing were initially overlooked because of her age.
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Gurbachan Johal: "I know I am very lucky"
It was during Gurbachan's hysterectomy operation for fibroids that they discovered she had stage three ovarian cancer.
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Emilie Woodman: "This was the first time in my life that someone had mentioned the connection between breast and ovarian cancer."
Emilie always knew it was a possibility that she might have the BRCA gene mutation as her mother and grandmother had both died from early onset breast cancer.
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Angela Dilger: "Ovarian cancer or even the thought of it had never entered my mind"
With no family history of cancer, it took Boston-based Angela multiple visits to the doctor before she had a diagnosis.
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Jane Williams: "I’m sharing my story to highlight the importance of recognising the early warning signs of ovarian cancer"
Jane was diagnosed with stage 1A ovarian clear cell cancer in February 2014, at the age of 54.
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Sara Lowe: "Ovarian cancer was not something I had ever pondered before my diagnosis."
US-based Sara was was first diagnosed 15 March 2013 at the age of 21 and suffered a recurrence on 12 December 2014. Now in remission, she hopes to use her story to raise awareness of the disease and help others.
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Gaby Dagul
Finding out she has the BRCA gene mutation has and will change Gaby's life forever. But she's thankful for the knowledge that could save her life.
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Julie Makin
Julie has looked to Ovarian Cancer Action for support and information since she discovered an ovarian mass in 2010.
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Cara Wright: "I’d battled cancer and lost my baby to cot death all on the same day."
Cara's ovarian cancer was detected by a routine blood test when she four and a half months pregnant