Shikha: “If even one person becomes aware of the symptoms, my work is done.”
We know that behind every research breakthrough is a reason; a mother, a daughter, a family who deserve better awareness, earlier diagnosis and more time.
For Shikha, that reason is her mum.
Diagnosed at 71, her ovarian cancer was already advanced. Today, her daughter is taking on Walk in Her Name to turn loss into awareness and to make sure more people recognise the symptoms she wishes they had known sooner.
This is her story, in her own words.
"This is a tattoo that I've got for my mom. The teal color in the crown represents the color of ovarian cancer. The flower at the end, represents her love for flowers, even the wild daisies."
“My mum was diagnosed in April 2022. She was 71 years old.
It all started with breathing difficulty. For a few days, she would struggle to catch her breath. It would ease out momentarily and then come back again. Within a week, when it became too much, she saw the doctor.
We later found out that was because the cancer had already spread to her lungs.
Before that, she had been complaining of a bloated stomach and frequent peeing - but we attributed that to her diabetes. She also had some loss of appetite. She would feel full after eating just a little bit. At the time, none of it felt alarming enough. These symptoms are so common, they are almost always missed.
We hadn’t even heard of ovarian cancer before my mum’s diagnosis. Only cervical cancer. In hindsight, we now know that even her mother, my grandmom, died of a gynaecological cancer. But at the time, cancer wasn’t even on our radar.
My mum’s diagnosis wasn’t straightforward because the cancer had metastasised.
She initially went through lung surgery to remove the tissue that had formed over her lungs. That tissue was sent for biopsy. Then there were more tests to confirm whether it was ovarian cancer.
Neither she nor any of us suspected any form of cancer.
When we finally got the news, the first reaction was shock. Just complete disbelief. “This cannot be happening.”
After that initial shock, we decided to take one step at a time. I took time off to figure out different lines of treatment and what options we had."
What surprised me most was her reaction. She never even asked what stage her cancer was. She became very stoic about the diagnosis. She just wanted to go through treatment because she really wanted to live.”
“My mum was 4 feet 10 inches, a petite woman, and she could literally cry at will (and she did!). So, when she was diagnosed, we honestly thought she would just break down.
But her attitude towards it all, her will to live, and the fact that she survived for over 1.5 years when the doctor had given her just one month — it took us all by surprise.
We never thought she would be able to take the news, the chemo, the frequent trips to the hospital. But how wrong we were.
She proved that if you are strong-minded, you can really beat the odds.
Once diagnosed, she received brilliant care from the doctors and incredible support from family and friends. For most of those 18 months, she did not suffer extreme discomfort. The only real challenge was in the final month before we lost her, when she couldn’t eat anything. It was distressing to see her struggle.
But even in those last two weeks, when things were hardest, she was at home, amongst family. That matters.
I have too many favourite memories of her and some are still too painful to put into words.”
My husband and I are based in South East London, but my mum was based in India. And yet cancer unites us all across geographies, doesn’t it?
No matter where you are in the world, the fear, the confusion, the lack of awareness - it is the same. That lack of awareness is what stays with me.”
“I realise now how much lack of awareness there is around this cancer, and how common the symptoms are, so common that they are almost always missed.
There is also so much research that still needs to be done around diagnosis. The money raised would help that cause.
Supporting Ovarian Cancer Action means supporting brilliant work, not just in awareness, but in research. It means saving lives, both in the present and the future.
For Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, I'm taking on the Walk in Her Name challenge. If by taking up the challenge even one person becomes aware of it, my work is done. Maybe someday that awareness will save someone’s life.
I live in beautiful Kent now, so my plan is to click a nice picture on each walk and use it to raise more funds through LinkedIn. Let’s see how that goes! I’ve already started warming up by going for short walks every other day.
And to anyone considering fundraising in memory of a loved one, I would say this:
When you lose, don’t lose the lesson. Turn that loss into wisdom for someone else. It is such a humble step to talk about and live through the life of someone you loved and lost so that you might someday be able to save someone else’s life.
Few people have the courage to go through it, because it requires huge emotional strength. So more power to those who are fundraising.”
Every breakthrough starts with a reason
For Shikha, that reason is her mum, who faced ovarian cancer with courage.
By taking on Walk in Her Name, she is turning grief into action.
Every step she walks helps raise awareness of symptoms that are too often dismissed, and funds the research needed to diagnose ovarian cancer earlier and treat it more effectively.
