Surbiton woman becomes face of ovarian cancer campaign

The announcement was made as part of the Target Ovarian Cancer charity's 'It’s time to TAKE OVAR’ campaign.

March is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, and Pauline Corry, a woman from Surbiton, is spreading awareness about the disease.

Pauline was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2014.

She described how the two months before her diagnosis were almost worse than the 18 months of treatment that followed.

Despite presenting with the symptoms of ovarian cancer, she was repeatedly told she had IBS.

Pauline eventually became so unwell that she was admitted to hospital, where she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

She has since become a passionate fundraiser for ovarian cancer, hosting coffee mornings, cake sales, and quiz nights to spread awareness and raise money for Target Ovarian Cancer.

According to Target, a woman with an early stage diagnosis of ovarian cancer has an over 90 per cent change of surviving the disease.

Yet one in five women (20 per cent) are too ill to receive any treatment by the time they finally receive a diagnosis.

Target Ovarian Cancer are calling on the government to do more to get women an early diagnosis for the disease.

"Having been through treatment, I realised that I wanted to do more," Pauline said.

"We all need to act now to make sure the future is brighter for women with ovarian cancer.

"I've been there. I know what happens and I know how much money is needed to fund a new piece of research, or provide a half-hour support call to someone who really needs it."

Target Ovarian Cancer said that awareness of all four main symptoms of ovarian cancer is alarmingly low across the UK, leaving women without crucial knowledge that could save lives.

These symptoms are:

• Persistent bloating - not bloating that comes and goes

• Feeling full quickly and/or loss of appetite

• Pelvic or abdominal pain (that's your tummy and below)

• Urinary symptoms (needing to wee more urgently or more often than usual)