Chris, 42 years

I was 42 when things started to go wrong. I had severe back ache, swelling of the stomach, a lump in the groin and very bad heart burn. After about three I days went to a doctor, who told me I had a hernia and just bad reflux. I was given medication to stop the reflux and I was going to have a scan but during the weekend things got worse.

I saw another doctor on the Monday, who said he was very worried about me and got me straight in for a CT scan. It showed what I feared - ovarian cancer, Stage four. I went straight to see a gynaecologist and had a full hysterectomy. Two weeks after surgery I started chemo, which was frightening and I lost all my hair.

I have a great husband and wonderful children, including a 22 year old daughter, and I am so afraid of this happening to her. My twin boys, aged 19 were also very supportive of me, as were my family and friends.

Two years later I had a recurrence with retroperitoneal lymphadenopathy and started chemo again. Six months after I had finished chemo I had another recurrence of lymphadenopathy, so I had more chemo. I now have another recurrence, and in a few more glands, so I start chemo this Tuesday. It is such a frightening disease; I wonder were it’s going to end but as we all know, we have to keep battling on. I am now 46 and have three little grandchildren I want to see grow up.

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