It’s my birthday this week and I’m still here! 

It’s 2 years since I finished chemo for low grade serous carcinoma ovarian cancer, after radical surgery in Autumn 2018.  I was told it’s a slow growing cancer so chemo isn’t very effective but after the op that’s all there is and then maintenance drugs and I’ll be reviewed every three months to see if it has returned. That way of life and living with side effects from the medication haven’t been easy but they are definitely better than the alternative.

There’s so little research funding for this rare ovarian cancer type and ovarian cancer generally attracts a lot less funding compared with breast cancer which can be treated  so much more successfully. So it’s a quiet one that no one hears about, not even doctors.

Since my diagnosis I’ve raffled a painting each March for Ovarian Cancer Awareness month to raise funds for Professor Charlie Gourley in Edinburgh University who is researching treatments for us.

This March I’ve done a painting of the Apple blossom in our allotment. I hope you like it . It’s not huge, about 10” square  so it’s easier to post!

Tickets are £5 each - if you donate anonymously or I don’t have your contact details please email me on alex@alexcoppock-bunce.com to let me know you’ve donated and how many tickets you’d like. 

The draw will be on 30th  March at 10am (further surgery date permitting). I’ll keep you informed if this changes! 

I’m hoping to raise at least  £1,500 for the Prof and to raise awareness of the symptoms of this cancer which is often misdiagnosed as IBS  or urinary tract infections. I’ve managed to hit my targets both years so far and really want to help the people who are suffering with this cancer so we get some treatments that help us specifically as it behaves differently from the more common high grade ovarian cancer. 

There’s no screening test so most of us get diagnosed late and it’s already spread. I’m stage 3 but I’m ok today and want to make sure you know that if you have a change in bowel habit, frequent need to pee, feel bloated, feel full very quickly when you eat, get to a doctor and ask for ovarian cancer to be ruled out. 

Please help me to raise funds for Professor Gourley’s research into this so we can have treatments that work and find a cure as soon as possible. 

Thank you so much.

Low grade serous ovarian cancer is a rare and under-researched disease. It affects young women and is resistant to standard treatment. At the Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre we are screening panels of new drugs in the laboratory in order to identify those most likely to be beneficial in the clinic.