Articles

Launch Day

What a day! The sun shone and everybody had a wonderful time. The cyclists launched Ovacome with a 40 mile ride that began with the cutting of a ribbon by Sarah at 8am in Kensington Gardens whilst over in Windsor (their final destination) marquees were being erected, bouncy castles delivered and hundreds of balloons frantically filled with helium. The atmosphere was tremendous - scores of people worked together to 'put the show on the road' and it was a resounding success. It was so lovely to welcome so many people to such an important event and to see people talking and relaxing together in the sunshine whilst the children whiled away the afternoon enjoying a variety of activities.

We were delighted to welcome Jenny Agutter to open the launch whose fresh and enthusiastic talk was most encouraging. We are so grateful to her for her continuing support. We extend our appreciation to Martin Gore, Ian Jacobs, Kazia Pelka and John McGowan who have given so much of their time to support us and whose speeches were informative and supportive. Our very special thanks to Sarah whose radiance and words continue to inspire us all. An enormous thank you to everyone who gave their time, support and donations to Ovacome in so many different ways and made the day such a success and so much fun. Please accept this as a personal thank you to each and every one of you for all your efforts.

Alexandra Dargie, Ovacome Chairman

Photos 150996-5-16 Caption "Kazia Pelka and Jenny Agutter test the recumbent tandem"

150996-5-12 Caption "Entertaining the children at the Windsor fête"

Bike Ride

Crossing the finish line at Windsor's Alexandra Park with my group of cyclists gave me a real sense of achievement and pride. Weeks of preparation had culminated in a 'real' event that was in full swing. The evening before a group of friends and I positioned the route indicator signs and had on occasions reverted to Blue Peter style tactics when we ran out of go left or go right arrows. On the morning of the 15th Mark and Tom arrived with their motorbikes as official 'motorbike support' for the day. They proved to be invaluable. At 7.30am they were off checking the route signs hadn't been tampered with overnight, and making sure our team of marshals were in position. Following this they acted as official Ovacome roaming cameramen, documenting the event for us all to have a good laugh at a later date. I'm sure riding pillion backwards carrying a video camera is not quite legal but they shot some amusing stuff.

Sam and Soames were driving the van and were on call in case of emergency. Throughout the day there were thankfully only two incidents but I think the people involved deserve a mention for sheer guts and determination.

One lady had driven to London to take part in the ride, but her new bike became detached from the rack and was mangled on the motorway. Undeterred by this she borrowed a 3 speed folding bike so that she could still take part. Unfortunately during the ride she took a tumble, but continued. It later transpired that she'd broken her arm. To top it all it was her 60th birthday. What a lady!!!

In a different group a young chap was having problems with his bike chain. The van was called to pick him up but when it arrived he was reluctant to take the lift. Sam the driver did his best to mend the chain and left him with the emergency number in case he should need him again. Much later in the afternoon Mark and Tom were removing the directional signs. En rout they came across the same young man slowly making his way to the finish in one gear. Again he refused a lift, so Mark and Tom retraced their steps and repositioned the signs. About 10 miles before the finish his chain seized completely, but he was determined to finish and walked the rest of the way pushing his bike. He finally arrived at about 5.00pm, having set out at 9.30am, sore and very tired.

Unfortunately I don't know the names of these people but I think their amazing determination to take part and finish the ride really reflects the mood of the day. Everybody who took part in the ride or at the event in Windsor put so much effort into what they did. The sun shone magnificently and at the end of the day there was a real sense of achievement. I don't think I stopped smiling until I went to bed. Ovacome is well and truly launched and I feel sure that now it is here it will go from strength to strength.

Well done and congratulations to everybody who took part and thank you for helping to make our launch day more special than I had imagined possible.

Caroline Elliott, Ovacome Committee Member

photos 150996-1-4 Caption
"Sarah Dickinson cuts the ribbon at the start of the bike ride"

150996-4-28
Caption "Sarah Dickinson crosses the finish line"

Standards of Care for Gynaecological Cancer Patients.

Cancer Relief Macmillan have produced two new leaflets to help raise awareness of Gynaecological Cancers. These were launched on November 4th, and should by now be widely available in Doctors Surgeries. The first leaflet, called Staying Well, Gynaecological Health, gives information on screening, and symptoms to be aware of, for cervical, ovarian and vulval cancers. The second leaflet, called Gynaecological Cancers, How to help yourself, is a guide for those already suffering from one of the above cancers, and gives facts on gynaecological cancers, as well as questions that you should be asking, as follows:

Standards of Care
(as agreed by the British Gynaecological Cancer Society)

Six key questions you should ask

Will I have:

1. The opportunity of a prompt referral to a consultant-led team specialising in the diagnosis and treatment of gynaecological cancer?
2.  Full discussion about options such as surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy before treatment starts?
3. Surgery performed by a gynaecologist who has a special interest in gynaecological cancers?
4. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy undertaken by staff with a special interest in gynaecological cancer?
5. Access to a specialist nurse or counsellor and a symptom control (palliative care) team?
6. Information on support services for myself and my partner?

For copies and leaflets and more information please contact: Cancer Relief Macmillan Fund, Anchor House, 15-19 Britten Street, London, SW3 3TZ.

Open Houses

Following the success of the fone friends network, Ovacome is now hoping to establish regular open house meetings across the country. As the name suggests, any member would be welcome at a host member's house for tea/coffee and a chat. It is a wonderful opportunity for people to meet up and talk. We need to hear from members who are willing to host an open house, and from those who like to attend, so that we can have some idea of numbers and organise a rota to be published in the Spring newsletter. If you are interested in hosting or attending an Open House meeting please contact:

Loraine Golding
34 Great Queen Street
Dartford DA1 1TJ
Tel. 01322 289903

We look forward to hearing from you.

Loraine is 34 years old and, after being admitted to hospital with suspected appendicitus in July 1996, was subsequently diagnosed with Stage I ovarian cancer, and is currently having chemotherapy. As a young mother, Loraine was extremely shocked by the diagnosis, believing ovarian cancer to be a disease that only affected post menopausal women. Loraine is willing to talk to any members who are experiencing the trauma of ovarian cancer.