A woman has told of her story of ovarian cancer in a bid to raise awareness of the illness.
Kathryn Combstock, 32, has spoken out on the eve of Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month this March.
She was just 27 when she was admitted to hospital with a worrying lump in her lower abdomen.
Miss Combstock said: “I was asked in A&E to do a pregnancy test, which was positive. I tried to convince the staff that knew I was not pregnant! But they were sceptical and said I had possibly confused my dates.”
A scan revealed a mass in Kathryn’s ovary and she was told she had ovarian dysgerminoma and would require chemotherapy.
She added: “I went through a ‘menopause’ while I had treatment as I wanted to preserve my other ovary if at all possible as I really wanted to have children in the future.”
Her treatment was successful and just three years later she gave birth to a baby boy called William.
Kathryn added: “Although I had been told there was no reason for me to not get pregnant, to me, he was a miracle after everything my body had been through.
“The treatment I have received has been fantastic and is promising for the future – I am now a full time mum and back to being a part time police officer.
“I would like to give something back by raising awareness of gynaecological cancer.”
During the awareness month, the UKs leading gynaecological cancer charity is asking us to indulge in a little sweet treat to raise money for research into detecting and preventing ovarian cancer.
Only a third of women in the East Midlands said they felt confident that they were well informed about gynaecological health issues.
Everyone who signs up to Make Time For Tea will get a free fundraising pack which includes everything you need to hold the perfect tea party and ensure all your guests are better informed about ovarian cancer.
Visit www.eveappeal.org.uk/tea or call 020 7605 0100 for more details.