As some of you may know I've recently undergone surgery to remove an ovarian tumour and one of my ovaries. During that process I was assured that there was only a very small likelyhood of this type of tumour to be malignant. It therefore came as a massive shock when I was told post-surgery that it was in fact a rare form of ovarian cancer. Sertoli-Leydig tumours occur most often in women 20 to 30 years old, but the tumour can occur at any age. These tumours constitute less than 1% of all types of all ovarian cancers (if only I was as 'lucky' in the lottery!).

I do feel very lucky to have been referred to the wonderful oncology team at the Royal Marsden and that my prognosis seems good at this stage. On 1st September I'll be starting a 9-week course of BEP-chemotherapy to ensure any remaining cancer cells are destroyed.

My hair will be donated to the Little Princess Trust, a charity that provides real hair wigs to children suffering with hair loss. http://www.littleprincesses.org.uk/

All money raised through donations will be for Ovacome, a charity that has been supporting women affected by ovarian cancer and their families since 1996.

To help raise awareness for ovarian cancer I'd like every woman reading my story to remember this easy acronym provided by the BEAT Ovarian Cancer campaign:

B for bloating that is persistent and doesn't come and go

E for eating less and feeling fuller

A for abdominal pain

T for telling your GP

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and
cutting costs for the charity.

Many thanks.

Charlene