‘Having my daughter got me through it ...everyone rallied around my family’

Ovarian cancer affects 400 women in Ireland each year. Early diagnosis remains challenging as the symptoms can be vague and there is no screening service, but treatments have become more targeted in recent years.

Ovarian cancer is more common in women aged over 50, however, Cork woman June Feeney was just 28 when she was diagnosed, at a time when she was also in the late stages of her first pregnancy.

“I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in January, 2009. I was expecting my daughter at the time. It was my first child, and I was in the third trimester of the pregnancy. I developed a lot of unusual symptoms and became very unwell.”

June, who is the co-founder of the ovarian cancer charity OvaCare, explains there is a mnemonic that clinicians use for ovarian cancer symptoms - BEAT.

“B is for bloating, and this is one of the primary symptoms we hear from women. Obviously, for me, in my third trimester of pregnancy, this was a difficult symptom to recognise.

“E is for eating difficulty, and that definitely became a big issue for me. I lost a lot of weight, my appetite was gone, and I was feeling full very quickly.

“A is for abdominal pain. I had a lot of abdominal pain, which became very severe as my pregnancy progressed.

“T is for Talk to your GP, which is important, particularly if your symptoms are persistent.”

Three weeks before her daughter was due, the team at Cork University Hospital discovered there was a large tumour on one of June’s ovaries. Once it was identified, the decision was made to deliver her daughter early via Caesarean section. During the C-section, the surgeon also removed the tumour and her ovary.

“It was all such a shock, especially because I was pregnant and so close to my due date. But thank God, my daughter was fine and healthy. I’m very grateful for that.”

Four days after her C-section and surgery, June was recovering in the high dependency section at Cork University Maternity Hospital when the doctors confirmed the tumour tested positive for cancer.

As part of her treatment, June needed to undergo seven months of chemotherapy. She went home to recover from the surgery, and eight weeks later, she was beginning her chemotherapy. For June, to be experiencing such contrasting emotions - joy and fear - at the same time, was incredibly difficult.

“To be honest, having my daughter, Niamh, got me through it. Waking up every morning and having my beautiful little baby kept me going. And my husband, the strength he had was unbelievable, and my parents too. Everybody rallied around my whole family to support us in those early days.”

Amidst all the fear and uncertainty in the first year, June says they had so many moments of joy too, and she and her husband would make the most of the times in between chemotherapy sessions where she would be feeling OK.

Throughout this difficult time, June says she was keen to find someone whom she could talk to about how she was feeling, and what she was experiencing.

She eventually met Rachel McKeon, whose mother had ovarian cancer when living in the UK. Rachel explained to June about the support that was available in the UK for her mothers which were lacking in Ireland at the time. This tallied with June’s own experience and her own lack of awareness of ovarian cancer and its symptoms.

“To be honest, when I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer it was the first time, and I’m ashamed to say so, but it was the first time I’d ever heard of ovarian cancer. I would have been aware of cervical cancer, but I wasn’t aware that a smear test only detects cervical cancer and not other gynae cancers like ovarian.”

Rachel and June resolved to try and raise awareness of ovarian cancer in Ireland, but quickly realised that support was also needed.

In 2011, the pair founded OvaCare, a charity focused on providing support, raising awareness, funding research and building a community for women and their families who were experiencing ovarian cancer.

“We ran our first patient support day 14 years ago in 2011, and held one in Cork at the River Lee Hotel earlier this month.”

Attendees at the event heard from leading clinicians, therapists, and researchers, and connected with the ovarian cancer community. They also heard about OvaCare’s current work with Breakthrough Cancer Research to support proof of concept or pilot studies in ovarian cancer research, which is happening at University College Cork.

June knows all too well how important the work is that she and the other volunteers at OvaCare do.

“I find this very moving, and I say it with all humility, but the feedback we’ve gotten from our members over the years is that if they hadn’t had this group of women, this support network, they don’t know how they would be getting through it.

• Ovacare hosts regular events for members, including coffee and chat events on the second Saturday of each month.
• For details on Ovacare and upcoming events, see https://ovacare.ie/