"I didn’t have the typical symptoms associated with ovarian cancer, like bloating- but I did have recurrent UTI’s for several years.
I visited my GP an asked for a referral for an ovarian scan, I don’t really know why but I think I had something in my head about the silent nature of ovarian cancer.

I was fortunate to have health insurance, and the consultant I had was brilliant. They found a 6cm tumour on my right ovary. 
My diagnosis was low grade, early-stage cancer- meaning it hadn’t spread. This was such relief to me.

I was very practical about my diagnosis and wanted to know what would happen next. 
They planned the surgery for March, I was worried because our daughter, Sorcha was getting married in early June.

After the successful surgery to remove the tumour, I began chemotherapy treatment. I was worried about chemo, because I’d heard so many negative stories and have had bad reactions to medications over the years. I was also afraid of losing my hair. I used a cold cap, but still lost about 60% of my hair, but thankfully the regrowth started once my treatment ended and has since grown completely back!

The chemotherapy wasn’t as bad as I had anticipated. I wore a beanie hat during this time because I wanted privacy while going through treatment and not sharing my experience at the time was a coping mechanism for me.

Now I’m through my treatment I want to talk about it to help others going through a similar situation. 

This Ovarian cancer awareness day I want to encourage women of all ages to be aware of their bodies, if you notice anything unusual at all, please visit your GP- it saved my life and could save yours too."