Sally joined Ovarian Cancer Action (OCA), the UK’s leading ovarian cancer research charity, soon after her mother, Iris, died from the illness in September 2022. Cancer has impacted many of her loved ones, including her sister Julia, who had breast cancer, and her late father, Colin, who lost his battle with prostate cancer in December 2021.
While Sally, from Leatherhead, Surrey, could not change her family’s medical history, she wanted to try and reduce her risk of cancer. With Ovarian Cancer Action’s Walk In Her Name fundraising event taking place in March, where those taking part have to walk a sponsored 100km over the month, Sally has shared her story…
She began: “Mum became unwell in January 2022, with an upset stomach, severe stomach pain, back pain, indigestion and bloating. She saw her doctor several times as her symptoms got progressively worse. Eventually, in February, he sent her to hospital and she had some scans done. We were told that Mum had secondary cancer in her stomach.
“Mum had more tests to determine the primary cancer, which proved to be ovarian cancer. This news all came very quickly and was very difficult to take in. I already knew that ovarian cancer had poor survival rates, so I knew this was likely to be very tough for Mum. And the timing felt incredibly cruel, as we had only just lost my dad to prostate cancer.
“Mum spent two months in hospital before coming home. She had chemotherapy, but it didn’t shrink the cancer enough to enable surgery. Mum was determined not to give in to the cancer and did everything possible to stay alive. But her cancer had already spread by the time it was diagnosed, and the odds were stacked against her. Mum’s sister Carol died from pancreatic cancer in July 2022, and two months later, Mum also passed away.”
Before Iris died, she was tested for three faulty genes with the highest risk of breast, ovarian and pancreatic cancer. When the results came back, they were negative, which felt like great news.
Sally added: “But I also knew that the chance of breast cancer was normally only 14 per cent, and the chance of ovarian cancer was only around 2 per cent. Yet all the women in my mother’s and grandmother’s generation had had one of these cancers, and my aunt Carol had had breast and pancreatic cancer.
“Plus, my dad had had two separate cancers, and one of my sisters had had breast cancer. So, when I thought about this more, mum’s negative genetic test results didn’t give me much comfort.”
She explained: “I decided that whilst I couldn’t change my family history, I could try to reduce my risk of cancer. I knew that a healthy diet and exercise were both important, so I paid attention to this. I also had annual mammogram screening, rather than three yearly, due to my family history.”
She was reassured the outcomes for breast cancer were better than they used to be, but she was is more concerned about ovarian cancer and the lack of screening for it.
“From working with OCA, I knew most ovarian cancer starts in the fallopian tubes and that it is very hard to detect early,” Sally said. “I also learnt that risk-reduction surgery to remove the fallopian tubes and ovaries reduces the risk of ovarian cancer by up to 95 per cent.
“After a lot of thought, I asked my doctor for a referral to a gynaecologist to discuss this. Whilst all operations have some risks, I felt that the risk of this surgery was less than my risk of getting ovarian cancer without the surgery and that taking this step would give me more peace of mind.”
Her consultant agreed that she could have risk-reduction surgery and the operation took place in November 2024. The surgery involved removing her fallopian tubes and ovaries. Her consultant also planned to remove a contraceptive coil which her doctor had been unable to remove. But doctors soon found out her contraceptive coil had migrated to her stomach.
She said: “The first procedure turned out to be difficult, as they couldn’t find the coil. I was x-rayed to locate it, and thankfully, it was found. Somehow it had migrated from my uterus to my stomach.
“So my consultant performed keyhole surgery to remove this, and then my fallopian tubes and ovaries. That was quite a shock for me when I came around. It wasn’t something I was aware could happen, and I had had zero symptoms. The medical team were fantastic though, and I was very pleased they were able to remove the coil without any further complications.”
Sally felt frail afterwards and needed to wear comfy clothes for a month as she was “bruised and achy”.
“I also had hormonal changes due to my ovaries having been removed,” she said. “I was very hot, especially at night, and I couldn’t sleep well. That was another surprise, as I was 58 and through the menopause.
“However, my doctor explained that even post-menopause, your ovaries still release some hormones, hence my overheating symptoms. He increased my HRT prescription whilst my hormones settled down, and finally, I felt more normal and could sleep properly.”
Reflecting on the surgery, Sally said: “My husband, family and friends were very supportive while I was recovering, making sure I could focus on getting better.
Sally, who has fully recovered, is now looking forward to taking part in the Walk In Her Name challenge – one of the many ways to get involved with Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month in March. “Mum loved spring flowers, so my walks will really help me remember some of the good times with her. Mum would have been delighted that money raised from this challenge will help fund research for better treatments and diagnostics for women like her” she concluded.
Last March, over 1,000 people took part and raised more than £250,000. To find out more donate to this year’s walkers, visit www.justgiving.com/campaign/walkinhername2025.
