Sharon's Story

When Sharon was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, her world turned upside down. “At first, I was like, why? Why me? How did this happen? I didn't know much about ovarian cancer, but I quickly learned that it doesn’t discriminate.”

She started feeling unwell after a family trip. At first, she thought it was just stress from travelling. But when she lost a lot of weight, she decided to see a doctor. Since her regular doctor wasn't available, she saw another one and said, "I don’t know what’s wrong, but I don’t feel right in my gut.”

Her symptoms were initially misdiagnosed as constipation, leading to an X-ray without further investigation. When her symptoms persisted, she revisited the doctor, stressing her unimproved health. Further tests confirmed her ovarian cancer diagnosis in August 2023.

She recalled, “I had what I thought was jet lag. I was tired, really fatigued, and I kept putting it off - thinking it was jet lag. Just one month after I had arrived home from my holiday, I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.”

Like many women diagnosed with ovarian cancer, Sharon immediately started treatment. She faced numerous challenges, including a severe reaction to her chemotherapy drug that required a treatment change. “After chemo I just cried all day. I didn't want to talk to anybody. I didn't want to see anybody. I was in bed, and I kept trying to call the after-hours nurse to find out what happened and how we get past this.”

Everything happened quickly for Sharon. She lost her hair two weeks after her first chemotherapy session and underwent a full hysterectomy at the end of November. “I had my son's year 12 graduation the week later, and I was hoping I'd have hair for that, but I didn't. It was all gone.”

Before her diagnosis, she was unfamiliar with ovarian cancer, the deadliest female cancer in Australia. “As a less well-known cancer, I think it flies under the radar a bit,” so she was grateful to have resources available to support her with her Teal Support Program nurse.

“Luckily, I have a Teal Nurse that supports me. She's so caring and supportive. Di gives me an understanding of what is going on and breaks it down a little bit. More than anything, it’s the fact that she just gets it, and I can tell her anything.”

Sharon recently had a recurrence, which is common for women with ovarian cancer. About 70% of patients diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer will experience a recurrence within 3 years. “It’s an ongoing battle. The other day I was in the shower, and I just started crying and I don't even know why. I suppose everything was going so well with the treatment and I was so hopeful. And now we're back to square one.”

Conveying the struggle to friends and family can be difficult for women with ovarian cancer. “I have an amazing network, and friends always message me to say, ‘how are you feeling?’ and ‘oh, stay positive’. I don’t like to keep telling them that I’m tired or feeling unwell, so I just say, ‘I'm okay.’”

“With Di, she understands. She gives me a call, and it could be the day that I needed just to chat to someone. It’s an ongoing battle. But it’s okay, we'll deal with it, and we'll keep fighting,” says Sharon. She shared her story from a place of positivity and hope thanks to the support of her family, friends, and her Teal Nurse, Di.

Please donate what you can by the 30th of June to help support women like Sharon.