Events
Ovacome Day
This year Ovacome Day, 8th April, falls on a Monday. It is always a challenge to find a unique event which both raises the profile of the charity and ovarian cancer, yet is fun for members, we always make a great day of it! This year we are organising a Conga against Cancer in London. Ovacome member Louise Bourke-Standen suggested this fun event to travel through London, and raise funds for Ovacome. A 15-piece salsa band have kindly given their time, and are organising the route. We hope to attract lots of press attention and meet the general public along the way.
We intend to start in a London park, and weather permitting enjoy a picnic together. Even if you don t feel well enough to join the conga, you could always walk a mile and hold a bucket! Even joining us for a sandwich in the British spring time will help, as we hope to have a press call, and numbers really do count. So, keep a space in your diary for SUNDAY 7TH APRIL and we'll let you know as soon as details are finalised. Many members do a fantastic job of hosting smaller events. We are preparing posters and stocking up on ribbons etc, as well as preparing press packs to give whatever help we can. Please do let us know about your event, and if we can we shall publish the details in the spring newsletter (due out in March).
Marathon 2002
Running the Marathon is one of the most effective ways of raising money for charity. Over the last few years Ovacome has been privileged to receive thousands of pounds in sponsorship from the supporters of a really dedicated bunch of runners, who not only want to keep fit but have a real sense of dedication towards raising money for our charity.
Unfortunately members never know who is running for us, or how much money is raised. However, this year it will be different. Our runners are already out there in the cold, running at least two to three times a week, and I can assure you, as a veteran runner, that it s not pleasant at this time of the year when you have to really chalk up those miles. I often wonder why the marathon isn't held in September, so that runners can actually enjoy their training.
Matthew Walkey
Emmersons Green, Bristol.
My mother Gillian has ovarian cancer and has been receiving the newsletter for three years. I have completed the BUPA Bristol Half Marathon, and the Cheddar Half Marathon, both in good times. I started training in the first week of December, with the help of the Runners World website, which assumes that you are running at least 20-25 miles a week! I m really grateful to have this opportunity of raising money for Ovacome and raising awareness of ovarian cancer.
Dave Baldwin
Watford, Herts.
My sister in law Carol, a much-loved family member, passed away in June last year after a courageous battle with this vile disease. The pain her family has suffered, and continues to suffer, left me feeling helpless and totally inadequate. I felt that if I could do just something to help raise money for Ovacome, then perhaps in the future other families may not have to endure the heartache which we have suffered.
I started training in September, initially in the gym doing two miles a day on the treadmill, but now it is much colder I am having to train on the streets. However, looking on the bright side, I was 1 5 stone and I m now 14, so I m really pleased. I've never run a marathon before, so I m sure I'll be in for a lot of suffering, but I won t complain though. By January I'll be running 10 miles easily, and my target is 15 miles by the end of February running on a regular basis. All in all I think my training is going well, but when it isn't I think of Carol.
Rob Warren
Wroughton, Swindon.
I was delighted to be offered a place to run for Ovacome, as this will help me to fulfil a promise I made myself to help a cause which provided so much support to my wife ‘Jenny' in the last year of her life. Your support group and publications, even in the desperate situation in which we found ourselves, were a source of great comfort and support to us both. Jenny never gave up hope and because of her courage we were both able to continue to live full lives even when she became very ill. My training to date has been fairly low key with three short runs of 3-4 miles a week at lunch times, a couple of good swims a week and at least one game of five or six-aside football a week. I feel this will provide a good fitness programme on which to build. Hopefully I'll be running up to 10 miles by Christmas, then the training will become more vigorous, covering 30 miles a week. Before the end of March I'll try to do one or two long runs of between 18 and 20 miles.
The theory sounds good, doesn't it? But in practice it s more difficult on cold winter nights when a warm night in front of the ‘tele' offers an attractive alternative to pacing the dark streets.
Phil Brewster
Nottingham.
I decided in May last year that I wanted to run the marathon, when you see it on the 'tele' it looks great fun, doesn't it? My partner Lisa made me get my local gym to help me with a structured training programme, and to my surprise I've really stuck to it! I m now up to half marathon level and on course to do the big 26 miles next April.
Like most families, mine is no stranger to cancer. In 1 990 my father died from renal cancer; he had only been diagnosed three months earlier. This was very difficult to come to terms with. Then almost a year later my mum told me she had ovarian cancer: she's had to go through so much but she s shown so much determination, it goes without saying that I m proud of her. She's doing really well at the moment, so I don t mind suffering tired legs and blisters, especially if it will help other families in the future. I m a 34-year-old journalist working for Central News Television in Nottingham.
Fiona Palmer
Stourbridge, West Midlands.
I am 43 years old (I'll actually be 44 on marathon day). I work as a Branch Manager for Supply Teachers, and I'm ashamed to say that my training programme at the moment is minimal. However, I have run the marathon before and feel confident that I will be up and running soon! I attempt to run three times a week, but I absolutely hate going out in the freezing cold whilst my husband is in the warm. My dog ElIy is no comfort either, most dogs would love an extra walk but not Elly, who refuses to go out once she sees me in my running gear! I am running to raise money for Ovacome as my mum died from ovarian cancer 20 years ago when I was 21.
Sarah Harrigan
Muswell Hill, London.
My training is incredibly hard at the moment as I hate all these dark cold nights, but when I force myself to go out I usually end up by enjoying it and feel a great sense of achievement! I'm pleased to say that I have already been offered sponsorship money.
Judith Price
Watton, Norfolk.
I am married with two children and work as a chef in a school. Last year I ran the Great North Run with my dad, John Horan. I want to raise money for Ovacome as my mum was diagnosed as having ovarian cancer. Six weeks later, just before a hysterectomy, she died from pulmonary embolism. At present I'm running five evenings a week and have just torn a muscle in my leg. Though I'm told this is not serious, but I m having a physio look at it all the same.
The Flora Light Fun Run
Another year on and another great achievement! The Fun Run round Hyde Park was a great day enjoyed by so many cancer sufferers, relatives and friends. This year I persuaded three friends to take part as well as my daughter and sister-in-law and they really found it an uplifting experience. Last year I vowed to come back and run the course, but because of recent chemo I had to settle for a walk which still only took 57 minutes.
Hopefully I'll be able to take part again next year and persuade a few more friends to participate and raise even more sponsorship money for Ovacome. They do a really good job of keeping us all informed of new treatments and personal achievements of many Ovarian Cancer sufferers and obviously need as much funding as possible to continue their sterling work.
Linda Morton
Enfield, Middlesex.
Editor's Note: This year I m definitely going to enter the Flora Light Fun Run, anyone can do it, as Linda says ‘you don't have to run, walking is fine too'. So let's get an Ovacome team together, and make a real day out of it. Contact the office for details.
Dancing the Night Away
On 17th August 2001 we held for the third year running a "Dancing on the Lawn" evening at our local cricket pavilion, in aid of Ovacome. We hired a band who played on the veranda, while partygoers paid £5 each to sit under pergolas in candlelight on a thankfully warm summer s evening. We ate (veritable banquets), drank and were extremely merry, in memory of our darling daughter Kirsty, who lost her baffle against ovarian cancer in February 2000 at the tender age of 26 years. We love and miss her so very much, we will never get over her loss, but know that she would want us to do all that we can to support Ovacome, an organisation that brought her so much hope and comfort. In some small way we would like to think she is helping to save others by continually searching for better treatments and a complete cure for this terrible disease.
Our evening was capped by the unexpected appearance of Phil Vickery, Gloucester and England rugby player, who donated a signed rugby ball for the raffle, and his signed rugby shirt which was auctioned. The evening raised £1,150 for Ovacome, I enclose a photo of myself and Phil, and would like to thank all the wonderful people who worked so hard to make the evening such a terrific success.
Editor's Note; It sounds as if you a/I really had a very special evening, although I m sure tinged with much sadness for yourselves, family and friends. The thought of a beautiful summer s evening conjures up an image of warmth, / hope the summer s not too long in coming!
