My story.......

Mid-February of this year, I was experiencing stomach pains, mostly after eating.  I am not one to get sick too often, so this seemed unusual to me.  My sister reminded me that my mom had diverticulitis so I thought, okay, that must be it and made an appointment with my GP.

GP sent me for blood work and it came back as not diverticulitis, so a CT Scan was scheduled – CT Scan took place and GP sent me an email the following day to ‘urgently’ come see him – that is when I said, ‘oh oh’!!

CT Scan was showing signs of Cancer and more tests were needed to determine exactly what I was dealing with.  The day my GP said the “C” word is a day I won’t forget.  I was a bit numb as it was not something I expected given I had never smoked, was in ok shape, ate well but I guess with Cancer is doesn’t matter. The days following hearing this news were a bit of a blur as I took it all in.

As everyone was dealing with COVID-19, I was going through appointments with gynecologists, getting more blood work, going for more CT Scans, ultrasound, X-rays, and finally, a biopsy to determine what type of Cancer I had.  I was told the results of the biopsy and it was Ovarian Cancer.  This was followed by an appointment with an Oncologist and the first of six chemotherapy treatments began. It became pretty real after I was told what type of Cancer I had and I will never forget the day of my first chemo treatment thinking, is this really happening! 

In dealing with Cancer, there is only one option for me and that is to do whatever I can to make it go away.  I know the odds and they are not great but I will give it my best shot. 

Family, friends, neighbours, co-workers, etc. have been super supportive and as a pretty private person, the thoughts, prayers, support, well wishes, gifts, etc. are so overwhelming and appreciated. 

Most of us have been touched by cancer either through our own journey or that of someone we love. If you would like to support Ovarian Cancer Canada, please donate to "Let it Shine"!

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