FIGHT FOR CHANGE

When Charlotte got married in July 2021, she was excited for the future. “My husband and I had had a difficult few years working as doctors during the Covid-19 pandemic, but as things improved we were thrilled to tie the knot. We were at a good point in our lives and felt ready to start a family.”

Charlotte came off the contraceptive pill and didn’t have a period for three months. “I was taking pregnancy test after pregnancy test, but they were all negative. During an appointment with my GP to talk about work-related stress I mentioned off-hand that my periods hadn’t come back. We also talked about a slight change in my bowl habit, which we thought might be stress-related irritable bowel syndrome. She sent me for blood tests and found my hormone levels were very abnormal.”

More tests included a CA125 blood test, used to detect ovarian cancer. “The CA125 was normal but my hormones had risen even further. A gynaecologist recommended repeating the blood tests in a few months. However, my GP decided to send me for a pelvic ultrasound scan. I remember looking at the sonographer and seeing her face fall the moment she started the scan.”

The next day, Charlotte’s GP asked her to come to the surgery. “She told me I had a 16cm mass occupying most of my pelvis, which appeared to originate from my right ovary. She said it looked cancerous. I was referred to a gynae-oncology. I felt sick and panic stricken.”

Charlotte had CT scans, MRI pelvis scans and more blood tests. Her gynae-oncologist gave her the options of removing everything gynaecological along with the normal and full cancer surgery, or a staged approach, starting with removing the tumour with one ovary and tube and then returning for ‘completion surgery.’ “I remember looking at my husband with tears in my eyes as I told my gynae-oncologist that I would accept the potential risk of death in order to choose the ‘fertility sparing’ approach.”

Charlotte had surgery in December 2021. It was confirmed she had a granulosa cell tumour, and that it appeared to have no yet spread (stage 1A). “I felt really lucky, as my left ovary was unaffected and I didn’t need any more treatment at that point.”

In February 2022, Charlotte underwent a round of IVF in an attempt to freeze embryos in case of future recurrence, but she had disappointing results. However, a few months later, she found out she was pregnant naturally. “We welcomed our miracle baby girl, Annabelle Rose, in August 2023. We are also now expecting our second baby, due in November 2025. I’m in awe of my body’s resilience and find motherhood an incredibly rewarding experience.

Luckily I haven’t needed any more treatment since my surgery – just regular monitoring – but obviously there’s this question hanging over me about further preventative surgery after this pregnancy.”

For now, Charlotte is concentrating on making the most out of her life. “After my surgery, I started up an exercise regime to get my strength back and decided to sign up to do the Three Peaks Challenge as both a goal for myself and to raise money and awareness for a charity supporting people with ovarian cancer.

“I was vaguely aware of a number of different ovarian cancer charities through my job, but I wanted to fundraise for a charity that was not only about raising awareness but also involved in research and academia, healthcare professional education and improving treatment. When I started reading about Target Ovarian Cancer, their work really resonated with me and I knew it was the right fit to fundraise for.”

Since then, Charlotte has become a GP Ambassador for the charity. “Having a cancer diagnosis changes you forever, as you have this thing hanging over you for the rest of your life and you’ll never be the carefree person you were before, but it has really made me stop and rethink my priorities. I’ve tried to focus on the positives and the way in which I can use my unique experience as both a doctor and a cancer patient to help others. Helping to raise awareness for the charity feels like what I should be doing with my life.”

“There is a huge lack of awareness about ovarian cancer, as it’s not as common as breast or prostate cancer and not so tangible where someone can see or feel it, so it is one of the worst diagnosed cancers in terms of early diagnosis. I feel so grateful I was given that early diagnosis before my cancer had spread, and I feel passionate about helping other women have the same experience. The work the charity is doing to raise awareness, educate healthcare professionals and fund research is so important to get those early diagnoses that save lives.”

THE CANDIS BIG GIVE AMOUNT RAISED: £21,400

• Target Ovarian Cancer focuses on getting women with ovarian cancer into treatment as quickly as possible to increase the chance of survival. It works with GPs to make sure they know the signs and symptoms to improve diagnosis, campaigns to make sure women know the signs and symptoms, and funds research into new and better treatments. It also has a range of support services for anybody affected by ovarian cancer, including a phone line led by registered nurses, digital communities, and its website.
• The money raised in the Candis Big Give will be used as part of the charity’s early diagnosis programme during 2025. It will increase public awareness of symptoms and push UK Governments to fund awareness campaigns. The charity has trained more than half of UK GPs specifically in the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer. It also works with the NHS to pilot different ways to get women diagnosed and into treatment. For example, it has created a computer system to put a flag on the GP’s screen if they are diagnosing an older woman with IBS for the first time, to say they should also be referred for an ovarian cancer test.
• Visit targetovariancancer.org.uk