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Tax efficient giving

Deed of Covenant
An individual or company agrees to pay a set amount to Ovacome for at least three years (usually four). Payment is net of tax and Ovacome can claim back the tax, e.g. an individual donates £75 per annum and Ovacome can claim a further £25 from the Inland Revenue, this being the tax deducted at source.

For a form to set up a covenant, please send a stamped addressed envelope to David Grant, 18 Pentreath Avenue, Guildford, Surrey GU2 5TA.

Gift Aid
If you don't want to commit to regular payments, Gift Aid is a way for us to reclaim from the Inland Revenue the tax on a single donation. The donation must be a minimum of £250 and accompanied by a Gift Aid Certificate. A gift of £250 from basic rate taxpayer would allow Ovacome to claim a further £83 from the Inland Revenue.

If you would like a Gift Aid Certificate, please send a stamped addressed envelope to David at the above address.

Charities Aid Foundation
The CAF Charity Account works like a bank account. Individuals can open an account, pay money into that account via covenant, Gift Aid or Give as You Earn. The CAF reclaims the tax paid at 25% and adds that into the account. Individuals get a charity card and a cheque book, so they can make donations (gross of tax) to the charity or charities of their choice.

For more details contact CAF at Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent ME19 4TA, telephone 01732 520000.

Give as You Earn
Many companies operate a payroll giving scheme. The employer deducts money from an employee's pay and passes it to an agency, which in turn passes it to the charity of your choice, before PAYE tax is deducted, so the donation is paid gross. The maximum an individual can give in one year is £900.

Contact your employer for an application form if they operate this scheme.

 

Introducing our committee

Louise Bayne
Chairperson & Personnel
You can read about Louise and her story in more detail.

Adrian Dickinson
Secretary
As the husband of Sarah (our founder), I have been connected with Ovacome since the beginning. Sarah was looking for information about this disease and wanted to talk to people in the same boat; when this was not possible we both set off on the search. Ovacome is the fruit of these labours.
In the early days I limited myself to helping out at the periphery; producing the newsletter and taking notes at some of the first committee meetings. This ensured that we had enough time for each other. Now Sarah has died, I am keen to continue and promote her legacy by acting as Secretary and overseeing the charity's IT and Internet needs.

David Grant
Treasurer
I am 55, married with two children and live in Guildford, Surrey. I have been an accountant for almost 40 years and have had my own accountancy practice since 1972.

I became involved in Ovacome through my daughter Debbie, who has had ovarian cancer. When the post of Treasurer became vacant Debbie asked me if I was interested. I applied for the position as I felt that I could help by keeping the accounting records and dealing with other financial matters.
I have found the work very interesting and have enjoyed my first year as Treasurer.

Karyn Connor
Fone Friends
I was diagnosed with Stage II ovarian cancer just after my 28th birthday. I needed a total hysterectomy and six months of chemotherapy.
I had barely heard of the disease never mind contemplating it at such a young age. However, despite this I know I have been fortunate and four years later I am more or less leading a normal life.
I was pleased to become involved with Ovacome and Fone Friends when it was founded by Sarah Dickinson. I hope that I can continue to contribute to Fone Friends and Ovacome in keeping with Sarah's original vision, enabling women with ovarian cancer to link together and support each other.

Diane Chapman
With Complements & Front Line Fone Friend
I was diagnosed with Stage III ovarian cancer in December 1994 and have been actively managing my disease, with the support of my doctors, ever since. Although I always received excellent conventional care, I have come to believe passionately in integrated medicine.

From the beginning, I researched ways in which a range of complementary approaches could be pursued alongside the necessary surgery and chemotherapy. When I retired from my job as a teacher in 1995, I devoted a great deal of my time to researching integrated approaches to treating cancer world-wide and I have produced a handbook of my findings. This I regularly update whenever I discover something new.

I am convinced that each of us must take responsibility for our own well-being and build a programme of holistic healthcare which integrates the best of all possible approaches. I am fortunate to have a wonderful support network of doctors, carers, family and friends.
I also greatly enjoy being part of the Fone Friend support network and see this as a vital part of the work of Ovacome. Finally, my daughter is my constant source of inspiration and I intend to be around to see her graduate in 2001!

Noreen Taylor
PR and Press
I started to become involved in Ovacome through my professional work at a healthcare communications company in 1997. During the last two years I was fortunate to work with Madelaine on some joint industry and Ovacome public relations to raise awareness of ovarian cancer and its management, among both healthcare professionals and the public.

I felt very privileged to be asked if I would be prepared to continue to contribute to Ovacome public relations and gave a unhesitatingly and unqualified "Yes please."

My special interest is in effective healthcare communication and I look forward to working more closely with Ovacome to achieve its vision.

Ruth Payne
Raising Awareness
I am 45, married with two children and live in East London. Three years ago I remember reading Sarah's article in Good Housekeeping and being very moved by it, not realising that just four months later I, too, would be diagnosed with ovarian cancer, for which I underwent surgery and chemotherapy.

Working as a practice nurse, I was horrified how little I and many of my colleagues knew about the disease.

Since being involved with Ovacome and having heard about the many problems women have had getting diagnosed with the disease I have been eager to raise awareness of ovarian cancer, particularly among health professionals.

Helen Bayley
Exhibitions and Merchandising
I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, stage III, on 23 March 1998 and was completely ignorant of my situation.

After my first operation I walked up and down the hospital ward trying to discover my fate.
The only person to give any advice was a junior doctor who told me that I had a 30% chance of survival but that there was a trial, which tuned out to be ICON 3. All I could say when I returned home was that I had this illness for a reason.

My Macmillan nurse put me in touch with a gynae nurse who was a member of Ovacome and here I am - with a job to do, now that I do not have the stamina to teach a class full of children. I had further intervention surgery and six months of Taxol and carboplatin.

I rejoice everyday that I live and I have time to raise awareness of this "silent cancer" whether in my town, in my larger Midlands region or at my local hospitals. I just love organising fund-raisers, seeing people enjoying themselves while giving money to such a good cause.

I now know why God made me such a noisy person! But I couldn't have done anything without the support of my wonderful family and friends.

Barbara Pike
Fund Raising
I was first diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1994 when I was 29. A biopsy revealed that it was a Sertoli Leydig tumour and six weeks later the rest of my right ovary was removed. I have never had any chemotherapy and although I have enjoyed reasonably good health ever since, I have gained weight and am not so fit as before my operations.

As a young woman who had suffered ovarian cancer, I felt very isolated for four years. Neither the hospital where I had regular check-ups nor my GP gave me any information about support groups.
By September 1998 I desperately needed to talk to someone who knew what it was like to live with ovarian cancer and the chance of it coming back. I was given the phone number of Ovacome by CancerBACUP.

It was such a relief to talk to women who understood and knew exactly how I felt. The reassurance of hearing that all the emotions I had gone through in the previous four years were entirely normal was wonderful.

Through Ovacome I have learned a lot more about ovarian cancer and its treatments. I've even spoken to another woman who had exactly the same rate kind of tumour as I had. Best of all, I now know that I can turn to other women just like me for support and advice.

I am truly grateful that Sarah Dickinson, and those who encouraged her, had the insight to establish Ovacome. I agree wholeheartedly with all of the organisation's aims. The support it has given me has been marvellous and I am delighted to do something for Ovacome and its members in return.

Frances Hodges
Publications
My daughter Debbie died in July 1998 following a long battle with ovarian cancer, she was just 23 years old.

Debbie knew that I would become involved with Ovacome, to try to make people aware that ovarian cancer does not just affect old women, it affects young women too. I was aware that, in order to make a difference, I couldn't just stand on the side and let others do the work, so I nominated myself and became a committee member in July this year. It seems that all my spare moments are taken up with Ovacome work, but I'm really enjoying the challenge.

I'm really proud to be part of such a dedicated and "special" team of people, each of whom has been touched by ovarian cancer in some way.

Lorraine Golding
Liaison Officer
I am 37 and have been married to Cliff, my childhood sweetheart, for 18 years; we have two children. I was admitted to hospital in 1996 with suspected appendicitis only to discover that I had, in fact, stage 1C ovarian cancer at the ripe old age of 34. I had major surgery followed by chemotherapy (CAP) and am pleased to say that I am still in the clear.

As soon as I found out that I had ovarian cancer I wanted desperately to speak to someone who had also been touched by this devastating illness. Like Sarah, I also discovered that there was no one I could access.

By chance, Ovacome had just been launched and I immediately contacted Sarah and Alex and was warmly welcomed on board. Since then I have been an active member for the charity and have had the privilege of speaking and meeting many remarkable people from all walks of life who have certainly enriched my life in all different kinds of ways.

During this time I have felt the urge to break away, close this chapter, and move on, but I can't. I look back and remember the utter relief I felt when I finally spoke to someone who understood and experienced all the same feelings and fears as me.

I know I am within this Charity's support network a very vital link to women for so many different reasons and issues. So if I can contribute to this charity's network in any way no matter how big or small it is my contribution and in my own little way I feel as if I have given something back.

Professor Ian Jacobs
Medical Advisory Board Co-ordinator
I am Professor of Gynaecological Oncology at St Bartholomew's Hospital in London. I combine a clinical role as a consultant in the treatment of gynaecological cancers with running a research programme to develop new strategies for prevention, screening and treatment.
I am pleased to be the Medical Advisor for the charity and will continue to contribute articles for the newsletter.

Alexandra Whates
Administrator and Membership
I am 30 years old and have been married to Bernard for nearly two years; we have a beautiful baby girl named Tabitha.

My involvement with Ovacome began after I read Sarah's article in Good Housekeeping. My father had been diagnosed with cancer five years earlier and as a family we had known the pain of an unexpected cancer diagnosis.

As my grandmother had been a Marie Curie nurse for many years I was already interested in the support those with cancer receive. I was always aware that there were few specialised support systems to help cancer patients and their families during different stages of treatment.
I found Sarah's article interesting, moving and honest. She shared her feelings about her life, her family and her illness. As a primary school teacher, I had a little girl, Alice, in my class whose mother, Louise, had died of ovarian cancer aged 36. For Louise's family, Sarah's family and all the women whose lives were affected by ovarian cancer, I desperately wanted to help to set up Ovacome. The charity has grown exceptionally over the last three years and it is still with great pleasure that I dedicate my time to Ovacome as its Administrator.

Debbie Howells
Charity Development Manager and Newsletter Editor
I am 30 years old and have been married to David for six years. Like many other ovarian cancer patients, I had no indication of illness inside of my body; I was fit and well and under investigation for fertility problems when I collapsed and was diagnosed as having ovarian cancer in September 1995.
I had my right ovary removed during an emergency operation and when the cancer recurred six months later underwent a full hysterectomy, had my left ovary removed along with part of my omentum and a third of my cervix. I then had a six-month course of chemotherapy consisting of Taxol, Carboplatin and Epirubicin.

When I finished my treatment I felt as if I had reached a crossroads and had a choice of where to go next: back to my old job or start again and give something back.

I decided on the latter and started to talk at conferences, had articles in most of the daily newspapers and appeared on television to talk about my experience. I was then told about Ovacome and knew that I had to offer my help.

I have been working with Ovacome now for nearly two years and have thoroughly enjoyed helping the charity to grow and achieve its aspirations. May it continue to grow and develop in the future.


The Dog's Ball Follow-up

The Dogs Ball, held earlier this year, proved to be a great success and recently the team presented the Gynae Oncology Ward at St James's Hospital in Leeds with two monitors bought with the money raised from the ball. They wish to extend their thanks to all who attended the event.

The Dogs Ball team: Jayne Upperton, Geoff Lane, Hazel Parkinson and Anna Farrer

 

A Celebration Ceilidh

Stourbridge Town Hall
Saturday 11 March 2000 from 7.30 pm to 11.00 pm

Tickets cost £7.50 (supper included) and the bar will be open
Come along and dance to the Bedcote Ceilidh Band
During the evening a Tombola will be in the foyer
Proceeds from this event will support sufferers of ovarian cancer and research into early diagnosis of this "silent killer" through the charities Ovacome and ROC
Please ring Helen Bayley for tickets on 01384 442179


Adopt-a-Hospital

The Adopt-a-Hospital scheme and exhibiting at conferences for health care professionals have meant that Ovacome is getting known in all sorts of circles.
A few hospital are still "unadopted", so if you have a little time spare
and live near any of the following hospitals please give me a ring on
020 8530 4180 and see what is entailed.

Ruth Payne


Look good... feel better

Do exactly that and take advantage of an excellent service provided free to all ladies with a diagnosis of cancer

This service includes skin care and make-up advice plus a generous gift box of quality products to take home and experiment with. Go along and pamper yourself or tell a friend who can benefit from the service. Enjoy the informal and friendly atmosphere provided by professional beauty advisors. You may even have the chance to be a model for the afternoon. To make an appointment or for further information contact Liz Grimsey on 020 8725 1589. The service operates at St George's Hospital, Tooting, on the first Tuesday of every month

For details of your local centre please call 020 7495 4755 or send a SAE to Look Good … Feel Better, 5/7 St John's Princes Street, London W1M 9HD

Editor's Note: I attended one of the above sessions during my chemotherapy treatment and found it a very uplifting and pleasant afternoon and would highly recommend you to attend if you get the chance.


The HRT Cake

For optimum relief from menopausal symptoms, one slice of HRT cake should be eaten daily.

Ingredients
4 oz (100 g) soya flour
4 oz (100 g) wholewheat flour
4 oz (100 g) porridge oats
4 oz (100g) linseeds
2 oz (50 g) sunflower seeds
2 oz (50 g) pumpkin seeds
1/2 oz (50 g) sesame seeds
2 oz (50 g) flaked almonds 2 pieces stem ginger, chopped
8 oz (200 g) raisins
Approx 1/4 pint soya milk
1 tbsp malt extract
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2tsp ground ginger

Method
Put dry ingredients into a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Add soya milk and malt extract. Mix well and leave to soak for half an hour. If mixture is too stiff, add more soya milk. Spoon into a loaf tin lined with oiled greaseproof paper.

Bake in oven, gas mark 5, 190C or 375F for about 75 minutes. Turn out and leave to cool.

Editor's Note: Please me know your comments about the cake.

 


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