Three mothers who were diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer after putting their symptoms down to the menopause are urging women to become more aware of the disease.
Emma Durkin, 52, Denise Hall, 57, and Julie Ferry, 52, became friends while battling the cancer, which is known as the ‘silent killer’. Symptoms of it are subtle and often mistaken for less serious conditions.
None of them had heard of ovarian cancer until they were diagnosed with it and had put their symptoms down to the menopause. They are all now undergoing chemotherapy in an attempt to increase the time they have left.
L-R Emma Durkin, Julie Ferry and Denise Hall(Image: Chronicle Live)
Now, on World Ovarian Cancer Day, the trio want to urge women to became aware of the disease and the symptoms. They want you to know:
- There is no screening for ovarian cancer.
- Cervical screening (the smear test) detects cervical cancer but not ovarian cancer.
- Symptoms are often mistaken for less serious conditions like the menopause or Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).
- The disease is most common in women over the age of 50 but can occur at any age.
According to the NHS, the main symptoms of ovarian cancer are a swollen tummy or feeling bloated, no appetite or feeling full quickly, pain or tenderness in your tummy and an urgent need to pee or needing to pee more often.
Other symptoms can include indigestion, constipation or diarrhoea, back pain, feeling tired all the time, losing weight without trying and bleeding from the vagina after the menopause.
L-R Julie Ferry, Emma Durkin and Denise Hall are now friends (Image: Iain Buist/Newcastle Chronicle)
Denise, from Chapel House, Newcastle, and Julie, from Wallsend, North Tyneside, both separately contacted Emma, who lives in West Denton, Newcastle, after reading her initial story on ChronicleLive.
Emma was first diagnosed with ovarian cancer in May 2022 after suffering from barely any symptoms. She said her periods became irregular and she thought she was starting the menopause.
Emma Durkin pictured in February 2024(Image: Iain Buist/Newcastle Chronicle)
Emma started to suffer from pain and was told that she had a abscess on her right ovary which needed to be drained. Medics at the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) also found a cyst on her left ovary and removed them during keyhole surgery. They took a biopsy during the procedure which revealed she had ovarian cancer.
Emma, who is mam to Laura, 34, and Dan, 32, has since undergone two major operations as well as chemotherapy but the disease has returned three times. She’s been told she has a year left to live.
Emma Durkin following her diagnosis in 2022 (left) and as she is now (right)(Image: Chronicle Live)
The retired primary school teacher, who is nannie to Zak, nine, Daisy, seven, and Violet, five, said: “It’s a death sentence. My life now is going to be chemotherapy until I can’t tolerate it anymore or until I become resistant to it and then I’m screwed basically.
“This is silently killing people and by the time you get diagnosed it’s too late. I am frightened of dying, I know it’s going to be a really painful thing.
“It’s been really, really hard. Everyday is a battle for me not just physically but mentally. It’s mentally draining knowing what’s to come.
Emma Durkin in hospital (left) and her scar following her second surgery (right)(Image: Chronicle Live)
“When you go to your GP surgery there are no posters up about ovarian cancer. I genuinely thought that the smear test protected you against things like this.
“I want people to listen to their body. If you know something is not right get it checked out. Be aware of the symptoms of ovarian cancer and always have them at the back of your mind.
“If you’ve got pain and you don’t feel like things are right get a second opinion. You’re body is always right.”
Denise was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer in June 2022 after she began suffering from breathlessness. She suffered from other symptoms too, including a bloated stomach and going to the toilet a lot to pee, but she put them down to the menopause and IBS.
Denise Hall, who has been diagnosed with Ovarian cancer.(Image: Iain Buist/Newcastle Chronicle)
Denise discovered last week, just three months after having chemotherapy, that her cancer had returned for a third time and spread to her liver. She is now looking to start her fourth round of treatment.
She said: “It was devastating to hear. You kind of prepare yourself for it as you know it’s going to come back. I thought I would get a little bit more time but it came back.
“I’ve started getting resistant to chemotherapy. The last time it came back after six months and this time it’s come back after three months. It’s brutal on your body and on your mind.
“Ovarian is not a cancer that a lot of people are aware of at all until it actually happens. A lot of women don’t survive ovarian cancer. It’s just not brought to the forefront the same way breast cancer is.
Denise Hall during ovarian cancer treatment and her scar following surgery (Image: Chronicle Live)
“I thought going to the toilet a lot was just a part of getting older. We just expect to get a weak bladder and expect to have a bloated tummy without thinking this could be something else. I might have pushed a lot more to get stuff checked out if I had known the symptoms.
“I think a lot of women think the smear test detects ovarian cancer and a lot of women are shocked when they find out there’s so screening for ovarian cancer. It’s still a very unknown cancer.
“Know the symptoms and advocate for yourself! Don’t just put them down to something else.”
Julie Ferry, who has been diagnosed with Ovarian cancer.(Image: Iain Buist/Newcastle Chronicle)
Julie suffered from weight gain and bloating for two years before she was diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer. She said her symptoms were initially put down to the menopause and IBS.
In September 2024, Julie’s cancer returned for the first time and she was told it was terminal. She is now undergoing her fourth round of chemotherapy in an attempt to keep the disease at bay.
Julie, who is mam to Holly, 21, said: “We’re all terminally ill now and it’s come back as we knew it could come back. The survival rates aren’t massive and a lot of people don’t survive very long after they have been diagnosed.
Julie Ferry suffered from weight gain and bloating before her diagnosis (Image: Chronicle Live)
“What keeps me going is the fact I’m really positive. For every chemo, I put my heels on and my make up on and I get dressed up. When I look good on the outside it makes me feel better.
“I have been in and out of hospital since September 2024. I have had no normal life, I can’t go anywhere. The cancer has taken over my life.”
Julie says dressing up to go for chemotherapy makes her feel better (Image: Chronicle Live )
Julie, who is in a lot of pain, said she thinks women should be offered a CA125 blood test when they reach menopause age as it can indicate ovarian cancer for some patients – but not all.
She said: “I was always really small and I started putting a lot of weight on. You blame it on the menopause. I was put on HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) and that was probably the worst thing they could give me because it was feeding the cancer I didn’t know I had.”
Julie has urged others to keep pressing medics for an answer. She said: “If you’ve had a little change in your body be persistent with the doctors and keep going. Don’t take no for an answer!”
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