A WOMAN whose sister died of ovarian cancer just eight days after she was diagnosed wants women to be more aware of the ‘silent killer’.
Natalie Wild was so concerned about her sister Leanne, whose symptoms were dismissed as Covid for months.
When she was eventually told she had the disease in November 2021, the cancer had spread so far around her body that she only survived for another week.
Now Natalie is trying to raise as much awareness as she can, to stop any other family going through such heartbreak.
The 44-year-old, who lives in Sheffield, said: “I’m never going to give up now on telling other women about ovarian cancer.
“It took my sister in eight days and I don’t want that devastation to happen to anyone else.”
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It was a shock to the family when Leanne first fell ill in April 2020.
The country had just been plunged into lockdown, so her symptoms were similar to some of the Covid signs.
“We were worried when she first fell ill, as Covid was claiming lives,” said Natalie.
“Because she was having breathing problems, it kept being put down to her having long Covid. But she couldn’t seem to get better.
“In June, on her birthday, we FaceTimed her, as no-one could meet up because of the Covid restrictions.
“Her breathing was so laboured and rasping that it was like talking to a 90-year-old woman who had smoked all her life.
“For the next 20 months she was told that she’d had Covid three times. It seemed never ending to her.
“But she’d lost so much weight, despite being on steroid treatment to try and help her get better.”
Leanne struggled on at work, trying to carry on as normal, and then in November she was due to have a week’s holiday.
During that week, she started being sick and became dehydrated so was taken to hospital.
Only an hour later, she got the most terrible news. She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
“We were all just in shock,” said Natalie. “The next few hours were a blur.
“The doctors called us to say that they thought her ovary was twisted and they needed to take her straight down to the operating theatre.
“Her stomach had been swollen for a few days and they thought that’s what had caused it.
“Before we’d had time to take it in, we got another call. It was the hospital again.
“They had taken Leanne down for surgery, but her cancer was so advanced that they hadn’t been able to operate.
“She was so poorly they didn’t know if she was even going to wake up from the anaesthetic.
“Mum and my husband David and I raced over to the hospital, praying that she would wake up and we would get a chance to see her.”
Just a few days ago she’d been on holiday from work, now she was fighting for her life. It seemed surreal
Natalie Wild
Leanne was “such a fighter”, that despite her cancer being everywhere, she did manage to wake up through the anaesthetic.
“I couldn’t believe that it had come to this,” Natalie added.
“Just a few days ago she’d been on holiday from work, now she was fighting for her life. It seemed surreal.
“We knew she had been ill, but we had never imagined it could be anything like this.”
Leanne fought so hard, but the cancer had taken over her body, and she lost her fight for life two days later, with her family by her side.
“We were totally and utterly devastated,” Natalie said.
“She’d been diagnosed only eight days ago, and now we had lost her.
“It was too awful to take in. I had to tell my children Colby and Tilly that their beloved aunty had gone.
“It seemed so unfair. She was only 39 with her whole life ahead of her.”
What are the signs of ovarian cancer?
Ovarian cancers affects the ovaries – the organs that store the eggs needed to make babies.
It mostly affects women over the age of 50 and can sometimes run in families, according to the NHS.
Symptoms of the cancer can be vague, particularly in its early stages, Cancer Research UK SAYS.
The charity advises you speak to a GP if you have the following symptoms:
- Feeling full quickly
- Loss of appetite
- Pain in your abdomen or lower part of your abdomen that doesn’t go away
- Bloating or an increase in the size of your abdomen
- Needing to wee more often
- Tiredness that is unexplained
- Weight loss that is unexplained
- Changes in your bowel habit or symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, especially if this starts after the age of 50
The NHS added that bleeding from the vagina after the menopause could be another possible symptom of ovarian cancer.
Natalie wants to get more people talking about ovarian cancer.
“It does make me angry that her symptoms were dismissed as Covid,” she said.
“And that’s now why I want to raise as much awareness about ovarian cancer as I possibly can.
“We need to talk more about what is going on in our bodies.
“I’m working closely with the group Target Ovarian Cancer about raising awareness; I helped with a campaign where Leanne’s story was used on a billboard in a large department store.
“A few months later, one of the mums at school came up to me and said that she wanted to thank me, as the campaign board had helped save her cousin’s life.
“She had seen Leanne’s story, and was worried about her own symptoms so she went to see her GP and was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, but it was caught early enough and she had the best possible outcome for herself that she could.
“When I hear this, it shows that Leanne’s death won’t have been in vain, and that does bring us comfort.
“If I’d known enough about the symptoms, then I would have pushed Leanne to see a doctor about it, to voice her concerns, and that maybe would have saved her life.”
Sarah Carter is a health and wellness expert residing in the UK. With a background in healthcare, she offers evidence-based advice on fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being, promoting healthier living for readers.
