Kel was 43 years old when she was diagnosed with Stage 3 ovarian cancer in 2014.
After undergoing immediate treatment and being declared in remission, Kel unfortunately suffered a relapse in September 2017. Kel has been a committed advocate for women living with ovarian cancer and is a part of the OCRF's Consumer Representative Panel, as well as being an OCRF Community Ambassador. She is a strong voice for women advocating for their own health and frequently presents at year 11 and 12 classrooms to speak about her experience.
Her focus is on managing the disease for life and supporting the research that will ensure her daughter and her friends have access to an early detection test that may have been a “game changer” for her when she first experienced symptoms.
“Early detection is a game changer. We keep losing too many beautiful women to this disease and we don’t have to,” Kel says.
“There needs to be information gained and awareness raised. We know about everything else – you have your pap smear, you have your breast check – but because you can’t see it and because there is no test it becomes this hidden disease.”