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Kelly Mckay-Ainsworth, 44 from Chorley, spoke about her experience with ovarian cancer to support this month’s awareness campaign for women.
Giving women a space to come forward for advice and symptoms, a van is currently on tour around the region.
Encouraging women in and around Preston to share their stories and go to their routine check-up, Kelly spoke about her initial diagnosis of cancer and recovery.
Read more: A mum’s cancer blog becomes a powerful and poignant memoir
The Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust training nursing associate, Kelly, said: “Around springtime last year, I noticed I was feeling a little larger in the waistline than I normally would, and I’m usually a very slight built person.
“I noticed the urgency for urination and the frequency being more often. I was also slightly more fatigued than normal, but I put all the above symptoms down to age and possibly being perimenopausal, and because they weren’t causing great concern, I never acted on them.
“With hindsight, my symptoms were probably there for at least eight months prior to diagnosis.”
In her early stages, Kelly blamed the pain and discomfort in her back on an injury and irregular menstrual cycle, and fatigue on a busy workload.
It wasn’t until Christmas time that she made a further appointment and found cancer through an urgent ultrasound.
Chemotherapy and large-scale surgery have been implemented this year to remove Kelly’s ovaries and tubes as well as a part of her stomach lining.
As a result of this, a recent scan showed that the spread of cancer she had to her bowel and hepatic artery has decreased significantly.
Despite still being in her stages of cancer recovery, Kelly has urged women to check early signs of cancer and go to check-ups offered regularly by doctors and GPs.
Kelly continued: “The reason I tell my journey is to warn others to speak up and to make people aware.
“It would be amazing to see more awareness raised of the symptoms of ovarian cancer and for ladies to have their voices heard.
“I’m aware I’m incurable, but that I’m also treatable, and we will deal with this like a chronic illness. I will have flare-ups, but we can manage them. I’m aware I have a life-limiting illness, but if I can help just one person with my story to get help sooner, then I’ve accomplished something.”
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