www.ovacome.org.uk
TEA FOR THREE
Top bake-off fundraiser
wins treat at The Ritz
with Jenny Agutter
Newsletter winter 2014
THE WAITING GAME
Turning anxiety into action
MAKE IT A DATE
Sign up for Members’ Day
LABOUR OF LAB
Ovacome funds
bespoke research
it together
comments
contact Ovacome
Chief executive:
Louise Bayne
Support services nurse:
Ruth Payne
Susan Morgan-Walters
Volunteer and
information manager:
Ruth Grigg
Office manager:
Sonia Vig
Support line: 0845 371 0554
020 7299 6650
Email: [email protected]
Administration line:
020 7299 6654
Email: [email protected]
New address: O
vacome,
CAN Mezzanine,
49-51 East Road
London N1 6AH
Office hours:
Monday to Friday 10am – 5pm.
Follow Ovacome
on Twitter and Facebook
for daily news, or visit
www.ovacome.org.uk
Registered Charity Number 1058026
To register as a member of Ovacome
please send your details to the following
address or call the telephone number
above
© 2014 Ovacome
49-51 East Road
London N1 6AH.
OVACOME is a voluntary organisation
and relies on donations
The information gathered in this newsletter
is from many sources and is provided for
guidance only. Ovacome has made every
effort to ensure that it is accurate but can
make no undertakings as to its accuracy
or completeness. All medical information
should be used in conjunction with advice
from medical professionals
Finding your ‘safe place’
D
ealing with a cancer diagnosis and all it may throw up is
a very individual thing and there are certainly no rights or
wrongs on how to go about it.
On the one hand, the late actress Lynda Bellingham reduced her
friend and presenter Jenni Murray to tears by her level headed
frankness on Radio 4 about her decision to stop treatment. And on
the other, my dear friend who has been sent home from hospital on palliative care
refuses to accept the ‘p’ word and is busily researching her medical options.
Both, of course, are admirable and you cannot compare individuals and their very
different medical history or motives like for like. But what both do have in common
is a coping mechanism: Lynda Bellingham wanted to bring back an element of
control and my friend seeking protection from her situation.
It’s all about putting your mind in a ‘safe place’ if you talk to the experts. For your
so-called mindset can have an enormous effect on how you enjoy your life.
This issue, which includes advice from wellness coach Samixa Shah (page 13), has
plenty tips on coping mechanisms (see feature on pages 9 and 10). Why don’t you
give yourself an early Christmas present and, if you haven’t done so already, discover
yours. Happy reading!
Juliet Morrison, newsletter editor.
Time of change for Ovacome 2015
W
e are entering a new chapter for Ovacome as 2014 draws to an end.
Firstly, we are looking for a trustee with fundraising or finance
management background, with the stepping down of Adrian Dickinson
who has been involved with Ovacome since his wife Sarah founded the
charity in 1996.
As a trustee, Adrian has ensured that Ovacome remains true to Sarah’s
vision while responding to the changing needs of women with ovarian cancer and their
families. Adrian brought his personal experience and strategic management skills to the
board. Unfortunately (for us!) he now lives in Japan, which means he is no longer able to
fully contribute as a trustee. However, we are delighted that he will still be involved as a
patron and we thank him for all his guidance and support (see page 6).
We’re now also appointing a dedicated fundraiser to help raise the income we need to
continue as a leading ovarian cancer charity from our new offices, in which we have moved
from one side of Old Street tube station to the other.
This comes after we recently extended our team with a second nurse, Susan MorganWalters, to join our support line: one of the most important functions and founding
principles of Ovacome.
Having been appointed chair of trustees in May, I am delighted to be able to lead
the board at this time of change and am grateful to have the wisdom and expertise of
Adrian as patron and my predecessor Noëline Young, who remains as a trustee.
Front cover: Photography taken by
Shona Morrison of Ovacome’s Big
Ovacome Bake Off winner Kirsti
Fox with her husband Andrew and
Ovacome patron, Jenny Agutter.
There’s lots of change, but we remain grounded in our mission to ensure that women with
ovarian cancer are always able to access clear, reliable information, support and advice.
Designed, produced and printed by
Berforts Information Press Ltd
www.informationpress.com
Ovacome was founded in 1996 by Sarah Dickinson. Her husband, Adrian Dickinson,
is a patron of the charity. Trustees to the charity are: Cathy Hughes (chair), Simon
Chantrey (treasurer), Sean Kehoe (medical adviser), Clare Barsby and Noëline Young.
2
Cathy Hughes, chair of trustees.
Phone Ovacome’s nurse led support line on 0845 371 0554
it together
news
Ovacome to fund research
O
is, for the first time, involved in the funding of research into finding more
effective treatments to fight ovarian cancer.
vacome
This is thanks to a very generous donation
made to the charity by a patient
of Ovacome’s medical adviser
Professor Sean Kehoe.
The legacy - which was partly also
aimed at supporting the charity
itself - is being used for research
into ovarian and ovarian like
cancers.
Professor Kehoe is leading a team
of researchers at Birmingham
University, where he works as
a gynaecological surgeon. The
aim of the research is to try to
understand in more detail what
happens to the tumour when it
has been treated.
“We want to find out how
it changes,” says Professor
Kehoe. “Does it become
Professor Sean Kehoe: ‘many areas to explore’.
altered in some way that may make it more resistant to
treatments?
“Normally, a tumour tissue is examined before treatment,
a single point in time, when in fact matters are more
complicated and dynamic. But with this research, using
biopsies, we will look at the changes in tissue that occur during
treatment, which may be a route to other therapies.”
The work will also look at certain pathways in the tumours to
see if by blocking the pathway the chemotherapy can be made
more effective, or if the blocking itself is an actual treatment
as well.
“The main aim is to get new and better treatments to
the patients. Such work is important and there are many
other areas to explore. The big costs nowadays is often
the technology used, and of course the researchers,” says
Professor Kehoe.
Ovacome will be recognised in any papers published and
acknowledged in all talks and lectures Professor Kehoe gives at
any meetings.
If you wish to donate towards the Ovacome research centre
in Birmingham University, then please contact the charity’s
office manager Sonia Vig on 020 7299 6654.
Click and send Christmas cards
Ready for this Christmas, Ovacome has an online shop with over 3,000 greetings
cards to choose from for any occasion including multi-packs and singles:
www.ovacome.org.uk/visit-our-shop.aspx
For those special individual cards, you needn’t worry about postage or rushing out to
the post box either. If you want to save time or energy, you can have your message
handwritten for you, and even have some confetti put into the envelope, and sent for
you. But, if you’d rather do it the conventional way and write the card yourself then
orders can be sent direct to your address.
Ovacome is selling off its packs of 10 Xmas cards for £2 (see back page).
Phone the office if you would like to buy some on 020 7299 6654.
Festive Welcome
Message inside reads: “Season’s Greetings”
160mm x 160mm
it together
Winter Beauty
Message inside reads: “Season’s Greetings”
140mm x 140mm
Phone Ovacome’s nurse led support line on 0845 371 0554
Et voila! Ovacome’s support services
nurse Ruth Payne, volunteer and
information officer Ruth Grigg and chief
executive Louise Bayne (left to right)
taking a well earned rest after packing
for our office move just around the
corner in East Road, Hoxton. We are
still just minutes from Old Street tube
station if you would like to come and
pay us a visit. Phone numbers remain
the same.
3
news
Real-life ovarian cancer stories
reach 100s of medical students
T
he national roll out of Ovacome’s Survivors Teaching
Students project, in which ovarian cancer survivors
share their experience with soon to be doctors, nurses and
other clinical staff has begun with a bang.
The education project,
funded by the family of the
late Dr Lisa Jayne Clark,
has been reaching trainee
doctors and nurses in the
South East and Midlands.
And the Clark family and
friends have been boosting
its coffers with fundraising
Dr Lisa Jayne Clark: an inspiration. generating another £11,450
for this important step-changing initiative (see box).
Teams of Ovacome volunteers have so far shared their
experiences with medical and nursing students in London,
Cambridge, Hertfordshire and Birmingham to improve
knowledge of the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer and
promote the need for earlier diagnosis.
Post graduate nurses attending a course at the Florence
Nightingale School of Nursing, Kings College, London
described their session in July as:
“Very effective to hear actual stories”;
“Amazingly informative”’;
“A good reminder when seeing patients and assessing them”.
A month later the STS volunteers spoke to 80
undergraduates at Cambridge University.
Also, in October, STS teams were invited to speak
to medical and nursing students at the University of
Hertfordshire in Hatfield and at Birmingham University
medical and nursing schools.
Ovacome chief executive Louise Bayne says she is delighted.
“STS has proved far more popular than we could have
wished with requests much greater than anticipated. These
very generous donations from the Clark family and friends
are allowing us to take your experiences to the doctors and
nurses who will be caring for those affected by ovarian cancer
in the future. We are now looking forward to spreading the
message with STS further across the UK,” says Louise.
Memory of Lisa shines on
T
he halo effect of the late Lisa Jayne Clark, whose family
have funded Ovacome’s vital Survivors Teaching Students
initiative, continues to shine.
Lisa’s cousin, Joanna Aspray, nominated
Ovacome for a charity award scheme
run by her employer Santander and
was delighted to be allocated a bumper
£5,000. Joanna explained in her
application about Lisa Jayne’s story and
how Ovacome is working relentlessly to Joanna Aspray awarded
£5,000 by Santander’s
raise awareness and to support women
customer service adviser
with the disease. Joanna also helped
Kevin Mattinson
her mother Beverley Smith and her
(on the right) and the
Windermere branch
auntie Mary Park raise another £750 in
manager Andrew
a garden party this June, with a raffle,
Hemming.
bring and buy and cake sale. Santander
also matched this payment with a further £700 donation.
Meanwhile, a friend of the Clark family, Richard Stock who
met Lisa Jayne just once, smashed his fundraising target by
running the London Marathon this year and raising around
£5,000 for Ovacome.
“We are also very grateful to our volunteer presenters Jenny
Hayes, Jackie Rose, Mary Raftery, Samixa Shah, Janice
Wilson, Chris Robinson and Joelle Hill, and looking for
more people to take part,” she adds.
The programme is owned and trade marked by the
Ovarian Cancer Nation Alliance in the US. If you
would like to become involved, email Ruth Grigg at
[email protected].
A lasting legacy
O
vacome is entirely dependent on donations. By leaving a legacy in your will it will help us to continue to support
everyone affected by ovarian cancer.
Although making or changing your will is a simple process, it is important to consult with a solicitor or professional adviser.
Smaller changes can be made using a codicil form, which is available with guidance notes from the Ovacome website www.
ovacome.org.uk or by e-mailing us at [email protected]
4
Phone Ovacome’s nurse led support line on 0845 371 0554
it together
news
Harnessing the help of MPs
O
and its members had the ear of more than 20 MPs at the charity’s parliamentary drop in this
summer, where it launched a call to action report on improving ovarian cancer survival rates.
vacome
The report, which was based around a
survey of 198 Ovacome members during
April to May 2014, outlines the top five
priorities that Ovacome wants decisionmakers to give in improving the outlook
for patients with ovarian cancer (see
box). It also includes an 11 point action
plan for MPs to get involved, including
writing a press release to the local paper,
tabling parliamentary questions and
meeting with key NHS managers at the
local hospital (see box).
MP Fiona Mactaggart: ‘You can change things.’
The event, which took place in July
at the House of Commons, was a great
opportunity for Ovacome members to
raise their local and national concerns
about the prevention, diagnosis and
treatment of ovarian cancer. The charity’s ‘Ovacoming together:
Making a difference for ovarian cancer
patients’ report,
has a series of
recommendations
that Ovacome hopes
will be adopted by
the Government,
the NHS and the
National Institute
for Health and Care
Excellence (NICE).
Ovacome is asking its members to enlist
the help of their MP at a time when they
should be keen to raise their profile in the
run up to the May General Election and
should be open to this positive publicity.
It has produced a campaign tool kit to
help members go about this.
At the recent drop in, MPs from
across the leading parties took time
out to listen to and have their photos
taken with their Ovacome member
constituent to be used in local paper
publicity.
Stephen
Phillips
Conservative
MP for
Sleaford
& North
Hykeham
attended and
has since
written to
the Secretary
It points out that
Stacey Loveday garners support from her local MP of State to
while one-year
Stephen Phillips.
ask what is
survival rates for
being done
early stage patients
to improve awareness of the disease’s
are better in the UK, outcomes for
symptoms. He met Ovacome member
patients diagnosed with late-stage
disease are significantly poorer than
Stacey Loveday, who had surgery for
other parts of Europe. This, it says, could borderline ovarian cancer at the age of
be because of low standards of care and
21, and now eight years later has the
restrictions to the latest treatments.
all clear. She told Stephen about her
it together
experience and explained how little
awareness there was among young
women of this type of cancer. Stacey
wants every young woman, and every
GP, to be aware of the importance of
early diagnosis. After their meeting,
Stephen said: “It was an honour to meet
Stacey and hear about her experience
of cancer treatment. A lot is being done
to make young women more aware
of cervical cancer, but it is important
that they are aware of the risks of other
cancers as well, particularly as cancer is
far easier to treat if it is caught early.”
Fiona Mactaggart, Labour MP for
Slough, and herself an ovarian cancer
survivor, told the group of around
40 fellow Ovacome members how
important it was for them to be involved
in this advocacy work by sharing their
personal story with their MP. “Good
luck because you can change things,”
she said.
Members’ main
cancer priorities
• Improving awareness of the
symptoms among GPs, the
community and women.
• Personalising treatment plans for
women with ovarian cancer.
• Creating a greater awareness
among women of what they
should do if they have any
symptoms.
• Ensuring that all ovarian cancer
patients receive a written care
plan and better access to and
information on available support
groups.
• In joint fifth place: Improving
awareness of access to clinical
trials and reducing variations in
access to treatment.
Phone Ovacome’s nurse led support line on 0845 371 0554
5
news
Members’ Day 2015
Your personal invitation
O
vacome invites you to our 2015 Members’ Day on
Saturday 16th May in London.
This summer there will be an exciting line up of speakers to
update you on the latest treatments for ovarian cancer and
how to get by day-to-day with the effects of the disease.
The day provides an opportunity to hear from some eminent
speakers, to meet other members and share experiences and
information. It is also an opportunity to meet Ovacome staff
and feed your views to us, which can in turn influence the
way Ovacome operates in the future.
Complimentary refreshments are provided so please come
and join us for lunch, have a catch up with old friends and
make some new ones.
Reserving a place
If you would like to join us, please email us at
[email protected] or phone us on 020 7299 6654.
Ovacome is not able to provide accommodation, however we
will send you a map and a list of suitable hotels in the area
when confirming your place.
Please let us know if you have any accessibility issues or if
you have any special dietary requirements. The venue is fully
accessible for wheelchair users. Tea, coffee and lunch will be
provided with our compliments on the day.
Make it a date
Date: Saturday May 16 2015
Time: 10.00am - 4.00pm
Cost: Free for members of Ovacome and £5 for non members.
Venue: Conference Room A, CAN Mezzanine, 49-51 East
Road, London, N1 6AH.
Notice of Ovacome Annual
General Meeting
The Ovacome Annual General Meeting will be held on
Saturday May 16 2015. Only members of Ovacome are
entitled to attend and vote at the meeting and notice
of attendance must be given at least five days before the
meeting. Any motions which are to be raised must be made
by members of Ovacome in writing together with a seconder,
who is another member of the charity and must be in the
hands of the chair of trustees at least 14 days before the
Annual General Meeting. The AGM will be held at 4pm at
49-51 East Road, London, N1 6AH.
If you are an Ovacome member and would like to attend
Ovacome’s Annual General Meeting please contact the
office on 0207 299 6654.
6
Fundraiser
wanted as
Ovacome
trustee
O
vacome is looking to recruit a new trustee to the
board, after a move to Japan has led to Adrian
Dickinson, the husband of the late Sarah Dickinson,
who founded the charity, stepping
down.
The board of trustees is responsible for
making sure that Ovacome is doing
what it was set up to do within legal
and charity guidelines, and within
budget. Being a trustee means making
decisions that will impact on the lives Adrian Dickinson:
becomes a patron
of people affected by ovarian cancer.
As a trustee you will use your skills and experience to
support the charity, helping us achieve our aims.
As a board we need a range of skills to function in the
best way to support the charity and would currently
benefit from the expertise of someone with a background
in fundraising or income generation to support our new
fundraiser and help the charity meet its income goals to
achieve our ambitions for the coming years.
For more information on being a charity trustee visit
https://www.gov.uk/charity-trustee-whats-involved. If you,
or someone you know, would be interested in becoming
a trustee for Ovacome please contact the chair of
trustees Cathy Hughes: [email protected]
Reply from Adrian Dickinson: “As some of you will be
aware, the Dickinsons have moved to Tokyo on a long
term assignment. We are enjoying a Far East experience
with amazing food, beautiful countryside, rich culture
and a chance to experience the whole adventure as a
family. Given the distance, it is time for me to take a less
active role in Ovacome.
“Sarah would have been delighted to see how Ovacome
has turned out and the calibre of the trustees that
continue to guide and shape the charity. She, like I,
would have every confidence in the leadership team and
so I can step down with an easy heart. “I will continue to support Ovacome as a patron and
will still be asking for donations. Ovacome, like so many
charities, can only continue its good work as long as it
can receive sufficient funding.”
Phone Ovacome’s nurse led support line on 0845 371 0554
it together
news
Trial starts for relapsed women
A
for women who have relapsed ovarian cancer and have been platinum free for three to
12 months is underway, combining two drugs which have not been used together before.
trial
The drugs, fosbretabulin and pazopanib, target blood supply
to tumours, destroying them, then stopping them from
regrowing. Pazopanib is already used to treat some types of
cancer. The biological therapy is a cancer growth blocker
which stops cancer cells forming blood vessels that they need
in order to grow.
Fosbretabulin is also called CA4P, combretastatin or
Zybrestat. It is also a biological therapy that targets the blood
vessels, but it works in a different way.
Fosbretabulin destroys the new blood vessels that form in
the centre of a cancer. But it does not work so well on the
more established blood vessels on the outside, so the cancer
continues to grow.
Researchers think that these two drugs may work well
together because pazopanib destroys the blood vessels that
fosbretabulin cannot reach.
It is a dose escalation Phase 1b trial for 15-18 patients, which
will then proceed to a randomised phase II in 120 patients
in autumn 2015. It is open to women with ovarian, primary
peritoneal cancer and fallopian tube cancer.
PazFos trial giving hope
N
rinder Dhaliwal (below), who is being treated at the
Mount Vernon Cancer Centre in Middlesex has been
accepted onto the PazFos trial and was half way through
her second cycle of six at the end of November.
She said that the regime - a weekly
infusion of fosbretabulin, for three
weeks and then one off, and three
pazopanib tablets a day - had made
her very tired, but that she felt less
nauseous than when she was on
other treatments.
Nrinder was diagnosed with
stage 3 serous ovarian cancer in
November 2012, aged 52. She
has since relapsed twice and was
found to be allergic to carboplatin
while on the Aktres trial. Her original
treatment was paclitaxel and carboplatin and de-bulking
surgery. “I’m quite excited to be on this new trial and feel
that I have nothing to lose,” she says.
If you would like to be considered for the PazFos trial contact
Professor Gordon Rustin at the Mount Vernon Cancer
Centre in Northwood, Middlesex; Professor Gordon Jason at
The Christie in Manchester or Dr Susie Banerjee at The Royal Marsden.
For more details about the trial visit Cancer Research UK’s website www.cancerresearchuk.org
Recurrent results
A
Dutch study, published in the British Journal of
Cancer, has shown women with relapsed ovarian cancer
responding to an intensive regime of cisplatin and etoposide.
It looked at 98 women whose first-line chemotherapy had
initially been successful, but who had later relapsed. The
women were divided into three groups depending on the
severity of their cancer. The response rate of the two groups
of women who were least ill to the new treatment was 92%
and 91%, which compares with a response of 50% and 20% to
30% with standard therapies.
Among the group of women most seriously ill, 46% responded to
treatment, compared with less than 15% for current therapies.
This piece has been reviewed by Dr Sean Kehoe,
a gynaecological surgeon
and senior research
fellow at the University
of Birmingham.
it together
Preventative surgery plans
A
fter three years of lobbying by Ovacome, the Royal
College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists is calling
for national guidelines to protect women from ovarian cancer
by offering to remove their fallopian tubes once they have
completed their families.
Possibly up to 70% of ovarian cancer may arise from the
fallopian tubes and doctors are suggesting that this surgery
is offered at the same time as routine gynaecological or
abdominal surgery, such as having a gall-bladder removed.
Women at high risk of the disease because they have a BRCA
genetic mutation are already advised to have both their
fallopian tubes and their ovaries removed as a preventative
measure. But around two-thirds of women who develop
ovarian cancer are deemed ‘low risk’ with no family history.
Ovacome’s chief executive Louise Bayne says: “It is our belief
that this surgery could save thousands of lives each year.”
Phone Ovacome’s nurse led support line on 0845 371 0554
7
ask the doctor
Hormone therapy
I
ain McNeish, Professor of Gynaecological Oncology at the Institute of Cancer
Sciences at the University of Glasgow (pictured), explains how hormone therapy
can be effective in treating slow-growing relapsed ovarian cancer.
Q: When is hormone
treatment used?
Hormone therapy is used in two
circumstances. Firstly, when a woman’s
ovarian cancer appears to be relapsing,
but is doing so slowly. The commonest
situation is when CA125 starts to rise,
but there are no symptoms - in this
circumstance, data suggest that hormone
therapy can slow the rate of progression
and thus delay chemotherapy. The
other circumstance is as a substitute for
chemotherapy in relapsed disease: often
in patients again with slow growing
disease and where chemotherapy may
not be effective.
Q: Does a tumour have to
have oestrogen receptors
(ERs) to work?
The data from the Edinburgh study
suggest that patients only benefit
from hormone treatment (in the
case of the Edinburgh study, it was
letrozole), when the tumours express
ER (oestrogen receptors on a scale
of 0-300, there were no responses in
tumours scoring below 199).
Classically, low grade serous tumours are
strongly ER (oestrogen receptor) positive.
High grade serous tumours are often ER
positive as are endometrioid. Clear cell
carcinomas are, almost by definition,
ER negative. ER is also expressed on
rare types of ovarian tumour, especially
granulosa cell tumours.
Hormone therapies rarely work quickly,
so they are unlikely to be of use in
rapidly growing tumours. However, in
8
The evidence suggests that any tumour
that is ER negative (i.e. does not express
the oestrogen receptor) or even only
expresses ER to a low level, is not going
to respond.
Although hormone therapy has been
used for many years, there are very few
proper randomised trials.
The studies looking at hormone therapy
have been rather small, but tend to
show a similar effect. In a small number
of women (10-15%), hormone therapy
can produce responses (both reduction
in CA125 and also tumour shrinkage on
CT) and these responses can be quite
long-lasting. However, very few of these
studies report on ER expression within
tumours, nor do they state which types
of ovarian cancers have been included
in the trials.
Q: What hormone therapies
are available?
Q: Which women should
ask to have their tumour
tested for oestrogen
receptors?
Q: How effective is
hormone therapy?
slowly growing tumours that are ER
positive, especially if women are feeling
well, it is definitely an option.
There is tamoxifen and two aromatase
inhibitors - letrozole and anastrazole.
There has never been a direct headto-head comparison in ovarian cancer.
Their main use is in breast cancer, where
there have been huge trials. There is
also interest in a new type of hormone
therapy called abiraterone, which works
by inhibiting an enzyme called CYP17.
There are lots of data on abiraterone
in prostate cancer and a new trial in
ovarian cancer is due to open soon.
The PARAGON trial is investigating
the effect of anastrazole in a whole series
of gynaecological cancers - in addition
to epithelial ovarian cancer, there are
groups of women with endometrial
cancer, low-grade uterine stromal
sarcomas and ovarian granulosa cell
tumours. The ovarian and endometrial
cancer groups have completed their
recruitment and so the only types
of patients who can enter the trial
now are those with the rare tumours
(granulosa cell tumours and uterine
stromal sarcomas). PARAGON will
give us robust data on the response to
anastrazole in a wide variety of tumour
types, plus an assessment of ER and
other parameters.
A small phase II trial, called CORAL, is
opening at the Royal Marsden Hospital,
to investigate how effective abiraterone
might be in ovarian cancer.
Q: How does it work?
Ultimately, many tumours use sex
hormones (oestrogen/progesterone
in women, testosterone in men) to
stimulate their growth - thus when
oestrogen binds to the oestrogen
receptor, it triggers a change in the
cell that causes it to grow and divide.
Many breast cancers and nearly all
prostate cancers are dependent upon sex
hormones, at least initially - thus, if you
can block hormones, you can slow the
growth of tumours. Hormone therapies
have revolutionised breast and prostate
cancer treatment. In ovarian cancer,
there is much less evidence that the
tumours are as reliant upon hormones
for their growth.
Classically, the side effects are those of
the menopause - hot flushes and night
sweats. Aromatase inhibitors can also
give muscle aches.
This piece has been reviewed by
Dr Sean Kehoe, a gynaecological
surgeon and senior research fellow
at the University of Birmingham.
Phone Ovacome’s nurse led support line on 0845 371 0554
it together
feature
Waiting game
W
for medical test results can be so traumatic that the Labour party is
pledging to reduce the time to no more than one week if the party gets into power
in May’s election.
aiting
But for many women with ovarian cancer it is not just waiting
for the next CA125 test or CT scan result, there are often
three monthly, six monthly or yearly checks to contend with
too. And with the level of anxiety that this can create it
becomes vital to come up with individual coping strategies.
In this position it is unrealistic to expect that you can train
yourself not to worry at all, says Dr Kate Jenkins, clinical
pyschologist at Salisbury District Hospital. “The main thing
is to try not to think about it. Distract yourself, try relaxation
techniques and mindfulness can be very good at helping
people live with ongoing anxiety and reduce stress.”
For it is all about managing these frightening emotions in
an individual way, says Professor Maggie Watson, consultant
clinical psychologist at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London
and Sutton and Hon. Professor at the Research Department
of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology at University
College London.
Take five
Dr Kate Jenkins suggests the following mindfulness
exercise to help ‘centre yourself’ when you become caught
up in unsettling thoughts and feelings.
• Pause for a moment;
• Look around and notice five things you can see;
• Listen carefully and notice five things you can hear;
• Notice five things you can feel in contact with your
body, appreciating each before moving to the next.
Describe the feeling to yourself, without saying
whether it is nice or not.
• If your thoughts wander then bring them back.
“There’s no rule that says expressing emotions or hiding
emotions is either a good or bad thing. The yardstick is what
makes you feel better,” says Maggie.
To find out what works for you, she says to ask yourself some
key questions:
• Do you need to talk about how you feel?
• What happens when you talk about your emotions?
• What do you want to talk about?
• Who do you want to talk to?
it together
• Is something stopping you from talking?
• What can you do?
“Your answers to these questions may help you to decide if you
need to talk and to whom,” says Maggie.
“Mostly people want to talk and express their emotions to
those closest to them; a partner, a parent, a family member, a
friend. Sometimes you may feel that those closest to you can’t
or don’t know how to respond or help with the emotions you
feel. Sometimes you may not want to express your emotions to
those closest because you know they are also having difficulty
with worry; you don’t want to add to their burden,” she adds.
However, despite
this, expressing
emotions can be a
moment of sharing
and of intimacy with
those closest to you,
says Maggie.
“Expressing emotions
is not only about
worry, sadness or
despair. It can also be
about hope, humour
and love.”
Mindfulness and NLP
(Neuro-Linguistic
Programming)
coach Amanda
Street, used both
disciplines to help
Professor Maggie Watson: “no rules”.
her cope when she
was recently being treated for breast cancer. “In my experience
it was important to calm my mind and not let it go into a
negative stream of thought. I would make a conscious effort
to turn such thoughts into how I would deal with a negative
situation in a positive way,” says Amanda, who recommends
downloading the Headspace meditation app, which teaches
simple mindfulness techniques.
“I’d also watch my language in thoughts and speech to avoid
using aggressive words like ‘fight’ my cancer,” says Amanda.
This gentler approach would act as a tonic to her mind while
her body was dealing with the harsh chemo, radiotherapy and
surgery.
Phone Ovacome’s nurse led support line on 0845 371 0554
9
feature
Visualisation - in which Amanda imagined how she wanted to
be - was effective too, rather than dwelling on how she felt at
the time. “I asked myself what do I need to put in place for my
mind and body health now.”
And with her NLP hat on it was more about looking at “well
formed outcomes” in which she would try to prepare her
mind and think about how she could respond to the different
possible news from an appointment.
Managing expectations is crucial says Dr Tracie Miles,
president of the National Forum of Gynaecology Nurses
and gynae oncologist nurse
at the Royal United Hospital
Foundation Trust in Bath. Get
dates for results, so you know
when to expect them and try to
keep things in perspective. “If
you have to wait to have a scan
don’t panic and feel you have
to go and pay £1,000 to have
one privately. It might put your
mind at rest for a few days, but
invariably it won’t speed up your
treatment plan and remember
that tests have to be given
within the NHS within a safe
Dr Tracie Miles:
“manage expectations”.
timescale.”
Be practical. If you can’t sleep then talk to your nurse specialist
about your medication. Steroids, for example, taken at night to
stop sickness can keep you awake and re-jigging the regime to
take them earlier can make a massive difference, says Dr Miles.
Meanwhile, Caelyx treatment can keep you awake with itchy
feet or hands, relieved often with cream.
Distractions and keeping busy can help to reduce how much
you worry, with the following suggestions from Dr Kate Jenkins
being effective ways to help improve mood:
• Pleasant social interactions, including honest and open
conversations with friends;
• Hugs;
Dedicating a specific time of day to think about your worries
can help: a ‘Worry Time’ when you think about, talk about, or
write down your worries and concerns, says Professor Watson.
“This can help to ‘box in’ the worry and keep it manageable,”
she says.
Partners, family members, friends, others going through the
same experience, might all be sources of help and support.
Also you can ask your doctor if there’s any counselling
available or any local support groups. Professional helpers
can assist when you either have a difficult to resolve issue
or there seems to be no-one else to turn to who can give
straightforward and unemotional support during times of
difficulty.
Talk to your nurse specialist or other key worker who should
be the gateway to all information portals you will need about
managing your disease, says Dr Miles. Lots of hospitals have a
Cancer Information Centre now too and of course Ovacome
should be able to help.
Relaxation exercises
Progressive Muscle Relaxation is the deliberate tensing
and then relaxation of each muscle group such as your
feet, stomach, thighs and neck and shoulders.
It is based on the idea that the body reacts to thoughts
and events that make you feel anxious by tensing muscles.
This tension can make you feel even more anxious.
The exercises can help lower heart rate and blood pressure
as well as reducing feelings of breathlessness, or feeling
sweaty.
The exercise is simple but it may take a few attempts
before you are confident with it.
You will be working with most of the major muscle groups
in your body, but for convenience try progressing from
your feet upwards. You might want to concentrate on one
side of the body first and then the next.
Focus your mind on the muscle group;
Whilst breathing in, tense the muscles firmly for five to
10 seconds;
As you exhale, suddenly relax the contracted muscles and
let the tension be released, relax for 10 to 20 seconds;
• A warm bath, with baby or partner;
• Family activities, such as a walk in the park;
• Taking part in experiences that make you feel competent,
such as learning a new skill, cooking a speciality meal, or
doing something for your family that no-one else can;
Pay close attention to different feelings of tension and
relaxation in your muscles.
Practice for 10-15 minutes, twice a day for one to two
weeks.
• Sleep well (Ovacome’s spring newsletter will take a look at
this);
Consult your doctor if you have a history of serious
injuries, muscles spasms and back problems.
• Laugh;
Source: Dr Kate Jenkins.
• Practise relaxation (see box).
10
Phone Ovacome’s nurse led support line on 0845 371 0554
it together
fundraising
Tea with Ovacome 2015
A
words from member Adele Sewell (pictured right) on how
Tea with Ovacome 2015 is shaping up:
few
“Planning for Tea with Ovacome 2015 started early with
a meeting in September with fashion retailer Apricot
which has kindly supplied the clothes for our last two
fashion shows and which will be doing so again next year.
In October, a meeting was held
at the May Fair Hotel to agree
the details of what we need for
the big day which this time will
be on Saturday, 28 March 2015.
Tickets went on sale on November
8, 2014 and incredibly, within
24 hours, all the early bird
tickets were sold. This beats last
year’s record when they sold
out within five days. Regular tickets are still available
however and can be purchased online using the link
www.teawithovacome2015.eventbrite.co.uk
and dress rehearsal day which is
being planned for January. The
photoshoot will be used for the
event programme which tells the
stories of all of our models.
“The hunt is now on for models - women who have
had or are living with ovarian cancer. If you would like
to take part please email [email protected] or
[email protected] as soon as possible. There will
be a chance to meet all the other models at a photoshoot
“For more information about the event please go to
www.teawithovacome.org. Tickets can be purchased online
using the link www.teawithovacome2015.eventbrite.co.uk
“This week we have been
meeting with other clothing
retailers with a specific emphasis
on those who provide clothing ranges with larger sizes in
order to ensure that women of all sizes and shapes can take
part in the fashion show. We are also looking for two hair
dressers/beauticians who are willing to volunteer at the event
to do the models’ hair, make-up and nails. At this stage we
also need auction prizes and raffle prizes and items to share
in our goody bags. If you can help with any of these items –
clothing, hair, make-up, prizes or goody bags please contact
[email protected] or [email protected]
“Thank you everyone. Let’s make this event, our sixth, the
most successful yet.”
Helena gets the running bug
B
efore Helena Dillon started
training for this September’s Robin
Hood half marathon for
Ovacome she could barely
jog for the bus.
Now she is a convert and
says she enjoys rather
than dreads putting on
her trainers for a run. She
completed the Nottingham
race in three hours and
seven minutes, no mean
feat when she recalls being
sick after her first training
session round the block last
November.
for Ovacome, in a race that Helena
said had her name all over it, with it
coinciding
with her
parents’
anniversary
and it being in
Nottingham,
the town
where she
grew up.
“It was
awesome.
Being
asthmatic and
originally so
Team Ovacome: Helena and her family.
unfit it was
Her husband, Steve, ran
always
going
to
be
a
challenge.
But
too in one hour and 53 minutes. And
I absolutely loved it and despite tearing
the couple raised more than £700
it together
my hamstring on the way round, the
adrenalin carried me through.”
Helena, from Chessington in Surrey,
ran in memory of her mother who died
of ovarian cancer in 2006 after six and
a half years of being treated with late
stage disease, which doctors said at the
time of diagnosis she would not survive
for more than six months.
“My son was just eight weeks old at the
time and not only did she live to make
a mark on his life, she got to know her
two other grandchildren as well, which
at the beginning we would never have
thought possible,” says Helena.
“Losing her was far more painful
than running through the streets of
Nottingham, trust me.”
Phone Ovacome’s nurse led support line on 0845 371 0554
11
fundraising
A prize win
T
Big Ovacome Bake Off winner Kirsti Fox and her husband
Andy were treated to tea, cake and Champagne at The Ritz with
the actress and the charity’s patron Jenny Agutter.
he
Kirsti, the bake off’s top fundraiser raising
£900 for the charity, tied the prize in with
a weekend in London to celebrate the
couple’s 18th wedding anniversary.
The high life: Kirsti and Andy Fox at The Ritz
with Jenny Agutter.
The couple dined with Jenny Agutter
for a couple of hours, sharing stories
about their 10-year-old son Haydn and
Kirsti’s late mother, who died in
December 2010, just a month after
being diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
Kirsti, who is a civil servant in the
Ministry of Defence and her husband
Andy, who owns his own cleaning
business, were blown away: “We were
treated to fantastic service, superb
settings and amazing food. It’s a mustdo experience for everyone,” enthuses
Kirsti.
Since her mother died Kirsti has been
on a mission to raise money for charity,
working with the Mildenhall and
District Lions Club volunteers to pull off
her Great Mildenhall Bake Off, which
attracted the media and 70 contestants.
Loraine’s Teal Blue Ribbon
Campaign motors ahead
L
oraine’s Teal Blue Ribbon
Campaign, in which Kevin
Stephens has pledged to raise £100,000
for Ovacome, is gaining momentum
thanks to some very generous contacts.
Madden as one of the charities to be
supported at The Classics In the
Walled Garden evening picnic he
organises at Luton Hoo in Bedfordshire
for car enthusiasts, raising £1,000 from
the event,” says Kevin.
Since his wife Loraine died of ovarian
cancer in 2012, Kevin has been using
his navy Aston Martin to turn heads
towards ovarian cancer awareness. His
DB7 Vantage Volante is often bedecked
in teal ribbons, balloons and awareness
material about the disease. It is fitting,
says Kevin, as the car was Loraine’s
favourite model.
Kevin Stephens using his Aston Martin to turn
heads for Ovacome.
“Two lovely couples - Fran and Kevin,
and Olivia and Gary - asked for
donations to my campaign instead of
wedding gifts,” says Kevin. “And the
Loraine campaign was chosen by Peter
12
He has hit around £10,300 and wants
to enlist the help of ‘team members’ to
reach his £100K target, with collection
tins in shops, friends’ support, his car at
motor events and his JustGiving page.
To support Kevin visit
justgiving.com/loraine-stephens
She is now planning to run another
bake-off next summer.
Kirsti has also completed a parachute
jump for Ovacome, donating another
£600. “Jumping out of a plane at 12,000
ft was such an amazing feeling I just had
to do it again, but this time I persuaded
my husband to have a go and am also
trying to get a group together to raise
lots of money,” she says. “Instead of
dwelling, I want to use the experience to
push myself to do different things.”
• Ovacome would like to thank The
Ritz for donating its afternoon tea as
a prize for the charity, despite waiting
lists of months to secure a seat.
Runaway successes
C
ommunity staff nurse Lynne
Macvicar has raised £800 for
Ovacome which has helped her mother
since being diagnosed with ovarian
cancer in 2011 and a recurrence this year.
Lynne (pictured on the right, below, with
her mother Alexandra Kerr) wanted to
challenge herself in a way which would
raise local awareness
as well as money
for the charity, so
with the support
of RunArran, she
completed a 10-week
Jog Scotland course prior to competing in
the first 5K ‘Gate to Gate’ to be held on
Scotland’s Isle of Arran.
• Brian Kent completed his tenth
Bristol Half Marathon since starting
running in 2004 in two hours and 10
minutes. In memory of his late mother
he raised £225 for Ovacome, which
will be matched by his employer.
Big thanks to both.
Phone Ovacome’s nurse led support line on 0845 371 0554
it together
postbag
Outliving my
prognosis
I
was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian
cancer and given a possible six
months to live, that was eight years ago
and this year I was given the all clear.
I don’t feel that I am an extraordinary
person, but doctors say I am. I never
did anything that could be seen as
a sure-fire way to beat cancer, but
somehow I did.
A safe place
Ovacome’s wellbeing columnist Samixa Shah
answers your questions:
Dear Samixa,
I
n July 2014, it was five years since my ovarian cancer journey began. While
I am relieved to be in remission, I find each anniversary of being told that I had
the disease difficult. I’ve always felt that as I got off relatively lightly, avoiding
chemotherapy or radiotherapy, that I did not get the emotional support that
I needed. I did not receive counselling and when I went to the local Macmillan
centre I did not get beyond the reception.
I remember being totally stunned
hearing my diagnosis and wanting
someone else to deal with all the
issues that I suddenly found myself
confronting. For my first chemo
I bought myself a wig, I didn’t want
cancer to take any more of me away.
The treatment was successful and
luckily I didn’t need the wig in the end,
but what made cancer so real for me
were the people around me who passed
away.
At the beginning it did not feel like I was one of the lucky ones. I was rushed into
hospital, with what I thought was appendicitis. I had never known pain like it,
despite having had two children.
Then my life became a cycle of dreaded
check-ups, every three months. Each
time the build up to the appointment
brought anxiety and dread. And then
my fears came true and the cancer
came back in in 2009, three years after
the original diagnosis. I was lucky to
have care from some great doctors
and nurses, family and friends, but
this wasn’t always the case. After time
people don’t want to hear about your
cancer stories, but I hope someone
takes inspiration in mine.
I am really pleased to hear that you are still in remission five years on.
This year - I’m now aged 74 - I ticked
off my bucket list: a dream holiday
to Thailand spending time in the
rainforest and on an elephant reserve.
I can’t go back to BC (before cancer)
but I am learning to move forward into
the future.
Alice Paterson, London.
Although diagnosed with ovarian cancer I was fortunate that I only had to have
a total abdominal hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and partial
omentectomy. I was so relieved and felt as if I had been re-born.
I should be thankful, and in my own way I am, but I cannot get rid of this feeling
that my case was not taken as seriously as others. How do you think I can be more
positive?
Karen Frost, from Stafford.
Dear Karen,
It feels like you prefer to think about what did not happen five years ago rather
than about what is happening now.
It may be helpful if you started thinking about some simple goals for the next
month, three months, six months, one year, two years and so on and try to focus
on that. In this way you will start feeling excited about achieving something you
have thought about and will feel really pleased with yourself when you accomplish
something.
You mention that in your own way you are thankful, but are finding it hard to
move on. Something that may help is to keep a gratitude journal. Write down
five to 10 things you are grateful for every night in a journal just before going to
bed. You can be grateful for the same things every day if you like and you may well
choose things we take for granted, such as ‘I am grateful that I was able to go out
for a walk in the sunshine today’; ‘I am grateful that I could go out for a lovely
meal’ or ‘I am grateful for my health’. Although this may seem difficult at times, do
try to persevere because once you continue this practice
every day for 21 days you will find it easy to continue
and reap the benefits of a more positive outlook.
I wish you the best of luck and please remember you
can always talk to Ovacome’s nurse led support
line - 0845 371 0554.
Send your questions in to Samixa, who is trained in
wellness and life coaching, to [email protected]
it together
Phone Ovacome’s nurse led support line on 0845 371 0554
13
postbag
A sense of normality
T
he first alarm goes off around 6.20 in the morning. Now
don’t get me wrong, I`m not jumping for joy at that
stage but I am quietly happy. It`s the usual
morning rush around: two children to nag
to get ready for school, two adults dodging
each other in the kitchen getting ready for
work. Yes, two adults, as now I`m back at
work!
sympathetic and I had popped in to say hello as the months
dragged by.
So when we hit September I was celebrating
the ringing of an alarm clock! I’m back at
school, with a class of seven and eight yearolds. It is so busy that I forget about cancer,
yes you read that right. It disappears from
my mind for hours at a time!
Let’s backtrack a little. At the beginning of
January 2014, I was diagnosed with stage
3C ovarian cancer. There were no clues,
until the ascites kicked in. I was put on the
ICON 8 trial and started weekly chemo. I
work with young children in a school and
was advised to not work, to protect against
getting bugs. I had surgery midway through
and finally finished my chemo in July. I am
on maintenance Avastin now.
It feels normal, whatever normal is. It feels
like my life BC (before cancer). I know
it’s always going to be there, but for the
moment it isn’t the be all and end all of my
life.
There is a joy to the return of old routines.
When you get a diagnosis of cancer, you
think about how much your life is going
to change, and yes it does change, but it
doesn’t have to change entirely, forever.
I have been very lucky throughout
You do mourn the loss of what you
Dawn Baxter: ‘forgets about cancer’.
this process. I’ve generally been fit and
perceived was the course of your life, but it
well with minimal side effects. I have a very supportive
can still be there, hidden in the ringing of that alarm clock.
husband, family and friends. My place of work has also been
Dawn Baxter, Clanfield, Hampshire.
Take our advice…
O
vacome members give their tips on how to get
through chemotherapy in our new ‘Take our advice’
section.
Amanda Cawthorn (pictured) from Biggleswade,
Bedfordshire: “My top tips would be to cut your hair as
short as you can if it is long. I went from very long to a bob
as I could not face going any shorter
at the time. But if I did it again, I
would go much shorter which should
hopefully avoid having to hoover the
bed each morning.
“I think the best advice would be when
you get the chemo fog, to get out each
day for a little walk. It really helps with
fatigue and aching joints. At first you think ‘Why am I
doing this?’, but if you walk through it, you feel so much
better. “My Chillow pillow helps me with my medically induced
menopause as hot flushes at night are terrible especially
when you are not allowed HRT.”
14
Lynn Hill from Alrewas, Staffordshire (pictured below
with her son Andrew): “My top tip probably would be to
do exactly what you want to do when going for chemo,
I spent five
sessions in tears
with every one
telling me it
is nearly over!
After the first
I went on my
own and only
the last one felt
that I had made
it and it was
over! “If you can have some relaxing massage or aromatherapy
immediately before (mine was provided by the hospital) it
does help greatly with any anxiety and reduces it!
“Get a wig fitting from a proper shop and seek professional
advice on how to wear make-up during treatment,
especially putting eyebrows on!”
Phone Ovacome’s nurse led support line on 0845 371 0554
it together
postbag
Too busy to be unwell
H
i there, my name is Sarah Smith. I am 50, with two
daughters, 19 and 26. This is what happened to me in the
past six weeks.
At the beginning of October, I was at
the Liberal Democrat Party Conference
in Glasgow - I am the prospective
Parliamentary candidate for Dover and
Deal, where I live, worked and brought up
my children. Out of the blue, my tummy
started to swell up dramatically. When
I got back, I was enormous, like I was
expecting twins. I went straight to A&E
where they found I was full of ascites. My
beloved mum died from ovarian cancer
in 2011 so I knew straightaway what that
meant.
I am studying for a PhD in Cognitive Psychology at UCL so I’m
proud to be in a trial at the university and to be part of the effort
to improve treatment for women in the future.
My studies have been formally 'interrupted'. It’s
a great arrangement, I can continue working,
designing experiments and writing but without
any pressure.
After much discussion with family and friends,
and with the full support of the local party,
I have decided to continue my political
campaigning. I’ve posted an open letter to the
people of Dover and Deal here http://ek.lib.dm/
a3Pc7. I’ve been surprised and delighted by
how supportive people have been, including
the local press and rival candidates! I am really
Sarah Smith: fighting cancer and for a
parliamentary seat.
committed to Dover and Deal, I believe I can
make a difference and I still think I am the best
My diagnosis is stage 3c ovarian cancer - the most common type
person
for
the
job
of MP. I don’t want this cancer to stop me, so
– and I’m having chemo followed by an operation. I have gone
from now until May 2015 it’s all systems go.
into a clinical trial at UCLH which is testing whether a weekly
Sarah Smith, Chillenden, Kent.
dose of chemo is any more effective than a three-weekly one.
Life is now ‘technicoloured’
A
t this time last year I was busy
preparing for a trip to Australia to
spend the festive season with my brother
and his family. Little did I know what lay
ahead!
On my return after a wonderful holiday,
I went to the doctor as I was constantly
running to the loo and thought I may
have a urine infection. Within a couple
of weeks I had been admitted for a
hysterectomy. After my operation I found
out that I had stage 1c ovarian cancer.
What a shock!
On my first visit to see my oncologist
I asked if I could be part of a trial, as
I knew Sheffield is fortunate to be an
outstanding hub for cancer research at
Weston Park Hospital and the university.
I started on the ICON8 trial in March.
For me it was important to make a
positive contribution to helping others
who may face cancer in the future.
From the first time I set foot in the
building, I felt supported, comforted and
it together
as if I was someone very special. I knew
I had joined a very special and uplifting
community!
self. I have packed away my wig and am
enjoying my new look! After cancer, life
goes back to normal, but you are forever
different… a new you… a new lease of
life! I appreciate the little things so much
more now. Life is in technicolour! I am
being closely monitored by the trials
unit and will be for several years… a real
comfort.
My treatment was in six cycles and lasted
18 weeks. I had been randomised into a
group that meant I had carboplatin every
three weeks and paclitaxel weekly. I got
through it with the wonderful support
from family, friends
Cancer is a club
and medical staff.
that no-one wants
The Cancer Support
to join, but when
Centre on the
you do, you find
hospital campus was
that within that
always there with a
club there is so
cuppa and a friendly
much support and
face to talk to.
positivity from
I joined a ‘Positive
everyone. I am
About Life’ group
Lynne Levey: Enjoying her new look.
a great believer
there where I got to
in positivity and how it can overcome
know others in the same club! We still
adversity… of course, only alongside all
meet in a local pub now.
the ground breaking treatments that will
It is now over three months since
one day eradicate disease.
I finished my chemotherapy, and
gradually I am getting back to my old
Phone Ovacome’s nurse led support line on 0845 371 0554
Lynne Levey, Sheffield.
15
fundraising
Sorted: 11th hour
Christmas buying
S
looking for a gift or card for somebody special at Christmas?
Then Ovacome might be able to help with its new online shop:
http://www.ovacome.org.uk/visit-our-shop.aspx
till
From this site you have access to over 3,000 cards for every
occasion from wishing somebody good luck at a hospital
appointment to congratulating them on their wedding.
Festive Welcome
Message inside reads:
“Season’s Greetings”
160mm x 160mm
And you can save on Christmas postage too if you choose
the option of having a personalised message beautifully
handwritten in the card and sent direct to the person it is
intended for. You can add some sparkle also by opting for the
extra of confetti side. Alternatively, you can have the card
sent to your address for writing yourself.
All of this and you have the knowledge that for every card
purchased a donation is awarded to Ovacome. To give you
an idea of how much, for a 75p card Ovacome would receive
10p of that price.
As well as single cards, Ovacome has 10-packs of Xmas
cards (see right the designs available) which it is clearing
at the bargain price of £2 a pack. You will still have time
to make the Christmas post if you order from us quickly,
with first class Christmas post having to be sent by 20
December and second by 18 December. Phone the office
on 020 7299 6654 to order your packs of 10 from us now, or
e-mail [email protected].
Winter Beauty
Message inside reads:
“Season’s Greetings”
140mm x 140mm
Ovacome’s Christmas card 10-packs at a special £2 clearance offer.
Gem of a gift range
Photography by Andy Scaysbrook.
If you are still looking for inspiration for that
special Christmas gift, take a look at our bespoke
range of teal-themed jewellery, with the colour
representing ovarian cancer awareness.
Necklace and earring set £44.00
Teal Bracelet £5.00
16
Phone Ovacome’s nurse led support line on 0845 371 0554
Earrings £5.00
it together