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‘Every day I wake up feeling blessed to be alive’: Patient hails wonder drug’s impact after devastating diagnosis reveals four tumours

© Graeme Hart / Perthshire Picture AgencyKaren Holden near her home in Perthshire last week
Karen Holden near her home in Perthshire last week

It’s known as the “silent killer”.

Every year 7,300 women in the UK are diagnosed with ovarian cancer – and 4,230 die as a result.

Many women ignore or fail to spot the symptoms until it is too late, mistakenly believing that smear tests for cervical cancer will pick up all gynaecological cancers.

So difficult is the disease to detect, that Karen Holden counts herself lucky. She is among the one in five cases where doctors caught the cancer early.

The 52-year-old, from Blairgowrie, Perthshire, was diagnosed in 2016.

“There were no symptoms really – and the ones I did have I thought were caused by something else,” says Karen, marking Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. “I had stomach pains while on holiday in Germany but assumed I had just drunk too much coffee.

“I came down with a pain in my side, which I thought was just a urine infection.

“It was only when I felt a lump that the GP suspected a hernia, which turned out to be a huge cyst on my ovary.”

Medics confirmed it was ovarian cancer – and advised Karen a hysterectomy was the best way to tackle it.

During surgery, doctors discovered Karen actually had four tumours – two on each ovary – as well as deposits on her lymph nodes.

“Finding out it was cancer was a huge shock, especially as I hadn’t pieced together the symptoms,” recalls Karen. “I was devastated, but I realised I would just have to deal with it.”


SPOT THE SYMPTOMS

  • Feeling constantly bloated
  • A swollen tummy
  • Discomfort in tummy
  • Feeling full quickly when eating or loss of appetite
  • Frequently needing to go to the toilet

For more information, visit www.targetovariancancer.org.uk


After surgery, the warehouse worker went through chemotherapy sessions and believed the cancer was at bay.

However, in November 2017, just 15 months after diagnosis, Karen suffered a seizure.

An MRI scan detected a tumour on her brain – the result of advanced ovarian cancer, where it spreads outside the ovary.

“I just couldn’t believe it,” says Karen. “It was a lot to take in. But after I came round from the seizure I just knew it was the cancer again.

“The discovery meant more surgery, more chemo and radiotherapy – but unfortunately all of these struggled to keep it at bay.

“However, because I have the BRCA gene, I was able to take part in a clinical trial for a drug called Olaparib which stops the cancer from spreading.”

Karen has to take 16 pills a day – but says the drug has given her a new lease of life.

“I still have cancer, but I feel great,” she said. “The treatment is working and I couldn’t be more grateful. I get up every day feeling lucky to be alive. And refuse to let it get me down.

“I feel so blessed to be given this chance that I am determined to make the most of it, and appreciate the little things. I’m feeling well, back at work, and starting to get back to some sort of normality.

“Years ago, you mentioned the ‘C’ word, and people thought it meant the end, but now life with cancer is still life.

“I still live my life – and with a new appreciation for the small things and just to be here. I used to say ‘I will do that tomorrow,’ but since my diagnosis, I do it now because I know tomorrow might never come.

“It really has made me realise I’m stronger than I thought.

“I was lucky the cancer was detected. Other people aren’t – but that’s why it’s so important to raise awareness of ovarian cancer and make women aware of the symptoms.

“Looking back, I had many of the tell-tale signs, but ovarian cancer never crossed my mind. I just hope that by sharing my story, others will catch it early and be able to enjoy the rest of their lives as much as I am.”

It’s known as the ‘silent killer’.

Every year 7,300 women in the UK are diagnosed with ovarian cancer – and 4,230 die each year as a result.

It’s difficult to detect.

Many women ignore or fail to spot the symptoms until it is too late, mistakenly believing that smear tests for cervical cancer will pick up all gynaecological cancers.

In fact, only 19% of ovarian cancer is detected early.

And Karen Holden, thankfully was one of these cases.

The 52-year-old, from Blairgowrie, Perthshire, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2016.

“There were no symptoms really – and the ones I did have I thought were caused by something else.

“I had stomach pains while on holiday in Germany but assumed I had just drunk too much coffee.

“And I came down with a pain in my side, which I thought was just a urine infection.

“It was only when I felt a lump that the GP suspected a hernia, which turned out to be a huge cyst on my ovary.”

Medics confirmed it was ovarian cancer – and advised Karen a hysterectomy was the best way to tackle it.

During surgery, doctors discovered Karen actually had four tumours – two on each ovary – as well as deposits on her lymph nodes.

“Finding out it was cancer was a huge shock, especially as I hadn’t pieced together the symptoms,” Karen said. “I was devastated, but I realised I would just have to deal with it.”

After surgery, the warehouse worker went through chemotherapy sessions and believed the cancer was at bay.

But in November 2017, just 15 months after diagnosis, Karen suffered a seizure.

An MRI scan detected a tumour on her brain – the result of advanced ovarian cancer, where it spreads outside the ovary.

“I just couldn’t believe it,” Karen said. “It was a lot to take in. But after I came round from the seizure I just knew it was the cancer again.

“The discovery meant more surgery, more chemo and radiotherapy – but unfortunately all of these struggled to keep it at bay.

“However, because I have the BRCA gene, I was able to take part in a clinical trial for a drug called Olaparib which stops the cancer from spreading.”

Karen has to take 16 pills a day – but says the drug has given her a new lease of life.

“I still have cancer, but I feel great,” she said. “The treatment is working and I couldn’t be more grateful.

“I get up every day feeling lucky to be alive.

“And refuse to let it get me down.

“I feel so blessed to be given this chance that I am determined to make the most of it, and appreciate the little things.

“I’m feeling well, back at work, and starting to get back to some sort of normality.

“Years ago, you mentioned the ‘C’ word, and people thought it meant the end, but now life with cancer is still life.

“I still live my life – and with a new appreciation for the small things and just to be here.

“I used to say ‘I will do that tomorrow,’ but since my diagnosis, I do it now because I know tomorrow might never come.

“It really has made me realise I’m stronger than I thought.

“I was lucky the cancer was detected. Other people aren’t – but that’s why it’s so important to raise awareness of ovarian cancer and make women aware of the symptoms.

“Looking back, I had many of the tell-tale signs, but ovarian cancer never crossed my mind.

“I just hope that by sharing my story, others will catch it early and be able to enjoy the rest of their lives as much as I am.”