This is my story.

After years of having abnormal Pap test results, I was encouraged to have a hysterectomy.

On November 6, 2014, I meet with a gynecologist. He explained the chances of developing cancer so it was decided that I would undergo a full hysterectomy including removing my ovaries. On November 21, 2014, I underwent surgery for the hysterectomy but the surgery was unsuccessful due to severe endometriosis which caused my uterus to be fused to my bowel and it decided that I needed a specialist. The surgeon removed some cells from my uterus and cervix for biopsy. One week before Christmas, 2014, I was given the news that I had uterine cancer (stage 1A) and no signs of cervical cancer, not great but it could be worse. I was referred back to the Shirley Greenberg Women's Health Centre to meet with an oncology gynecologist.

On January 23, 2015, I underwent another surgery and this time it was successful. March 3rd, 2015, was my post-op follow up, where she said that the uterine cancer was no longer present. That was the good news; the bad news was that I had Ovarian Cancer (stage 1B) on my right ovary and endometriosis (stage 4) everywhere which helped to mask the symptoms. Due to the serve endometriosis, they couldn’t figure out what came first…the Ovarian Cancer, which is an aggressive cancer or the Uterine Cancer, not as aggressive. This was an enormous shock as it was so unexpected. No one had ever mentioned this was a possibility as everyone was concerned with cervical cancer. Up to this point I had no symptoms and no idea that I had this cancer.

That weekend I was trying to find information on Ovarian Cancer and came across the Ovarian Cancer Canada website. This is one of the few Canadian websites that I found and it has been the most helpful to me.

On March 9th, 2015 I started my 6 rounds of chemotherapy every 3 weeks as a preventative measure. Honestly, the chemotherapy wasn’t as bad as I had thought it would be. The weekend before starting I had cut my hair short as I thought the sight of my hair falling out in clumps would affect me more. Once I did go bald, my sisters told me that at least I had a nicely shaped head, lol….Not sure about that but it made me feel better. My sister Ange and I had a great time wig shopping even though we had no idea what we were doing until the nice lady at the wig salon showed us the right way to put the wig on. Because I like to put funky colours in my hair, we were able to find a black and purple wig that was more my style. Due to the hot flashes from menopause after the hysterectomy, I barely wore it, lol. I received some beautiful quilts from friends and a chemotherapy-care gift box filled with essential items to help with the side effects of chemotherapy. Little things like that made the cancer and treatment bearable.

My last treatment was on June 22nd, 2015 and I got to ring the bell! It felt great to finally be done but was also a little sad as I got some awesome alone time with my mom on the 3rd Wednesday of every month plus for the past 4 months everything was scheduled. Blood test on this day, chemo on this day, doctor’s appointment this day, rest and recovery on these days…..you feel a little lost once you’re done.

On September 13, 2015, I participated in my first Walk of Hope with my team of Karebares, my awesome husband Scott, sisters Ange & Alli, niece Madison, nephew Ryan, brother-in-law Paul and step-father Mike, braved the rain to help raise awareness.
My mom, Gail, who has been by my side for every appointment since January 2015 and at every chemo session and still likes to come to my follow up appointments, wasn’t able to attend the walk but is still my anchor to help me get thru this journey. She tried to make the chemo sessions a little easier by always having a small gift for me as well as a bunch of homemade meals for the days where Scott or I wasn’t up to cooking. My dad also wasn’t able to attend the walk but was a great support for when I needed help getting groceries and visiting me often.

On September 20th, 2015, I attended a workshop, presented by Ovarian Cancer Canada, called Picking up the Pieces. This was a great workshop based on the book of the same name. At this workshop, I met other survivors of Ovarian Cancer and we decided to form a support group as there was no in Ottawa. Our first Ovarian Sisters meeting was scheduled for November 12th, 2015 and we continue to meet every 2nd Thursday of the month at the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation. We have gained some new members, lost a member and are there for support for the member’s experiencing a reoccurrence. The member we lost was the one who was one of the most excited about forming the support group and was going to led us, while I had agreed to be her back up.

Unfortunately, she passed away before having that chance. I’ve taken the lead with the help of many of the members as I strongly believe that the women in the Ottawa-Gatineau area need a group where there are other survivors, other women still fighting the disease and women, who understand what they are feeling and going thru. Friends and family support is awesome and definitely helps but sometimes only people who have been thru the same experiences can really understand and relate to how you are feeling.

So that is my story, I am currently cancer-free and remain hopeful that I stay cancer-free.

Every one of these women is central to a family. Every one of these women has people who love her. Just being there to support and honor her means everything. That’s why I’m rallying with the community at the Ovarian Cancer Canada Walk of Hope.

The Walk celebrates the hope I carry with me every day – the hope for a future without this disease.

Every dollar I raise supports Ovarian Cancer Canada, the only national charity entirely dedicated to this important cause. Funds will be used to provide support, increase awareness, and fund vital research so that we can change the future for the women we love.

Please provide your support by giving generously. Better yet, if you are up for a challenge this September, come out and join me. Together we can make a difference.