A Bedford-born local is campaigning to raise awareness of the symptoms of ovarian cancer following the sharp drop in the number of women contacting their GP because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Greg Simkins, 25, is joining Target Ovarian Cancer to spread the word about the symptoms of ovarian cancer and encourage women to contact their GP if they are worried. 11 women die every day from ovarian cancer and the pandemic risks making the situation worse.
Early diagnosis saves lives, but many women are worried about contacting their GP for fear of coming into contact with the virus or for overburdening the NHS. However, GP surgeries are open, with many carrying out consultations over the phone or online.
Gregg takes up his personal story: “My mum died of Ovarian Cancer May, 3, 2020, in the middle of the first lockdown.
“She was diagnosed less than two years before that shortly after my graduation. After a serious operation and chemotherapy the cancer retreated.
“However, in January 2020 it returned and after a brave few months it took my mum’s life. This has ripped a whole in our family and we miss her everyday.
“In memory of her I will by cycling from our family home in Bedford to Barcelona Spain. I expect this to take around 18 days and cover over 1200 miles.
“I will be camping and cooking for myself as much as possible along the way.
“My fundraising page is In memory of Susannah: Bedford to Barcelona and I have an Instagram for the cycle as well https://www.instagram.com/bedford_2_barca/.”
The symptoms of ovarian cancer are:
• Persistent bloating
• Feeling full quickly and/or loss of appetite
• Pelvic or abdominal pain
• Urinary symptoms
Other symptoms can include unexpected weight loss, a change in bowel habits and extreme fatigue.
Anyone experiencing these symptoms, and they are not normal for them, should contact their GP.
Greg Simkins said: “It is incredibly important to raise awareness of Ovarian Cancer because many women don’t know the early symptoms and without early diagnosis the survival rates are very low. My mum was an incredibly brave women and always had a love of travel – I can’t think of a better way to remember her than taking on an epic cycle across France and ending in Barcelona.”
Target Ovarian Cancer works to improve early diagnosis, fund life-saving research and provide much-needed support to women with ovarian cancer. Join our campaigning efforts and help us bring about change to the lives of everyone affected by ovarian cancer. You could write to your elected representative calling on them to act on ovarian cancer or host your own virtual awareness raising event to with family and friends.
Sign up as a campaigner now: https://targetovariancancer.org.uk/get-involved/campaign/become-campaigner
