It all started in March 2018 when I was in my final year of nursing and (no exaggeration) I woke up looking like Humpty Dumpty, or, more accurately a walking barrel. To make that clearer I had gained 10kgs in 2 weeks and had gone from running 10 miles the previous weekend to getting breathless walking 10 steps. Not wanting…

My story begins in March 2019 when my gynecologist noticed that my uterus felt enlarged during my annual exam. She ordered a transvaginal ultrasound, which detected a 9cm mass in my left ovary. My bloodwork looked stable and my ca- 125 tumor marker was within the normal range, so we were optimistic the mass was benign. But during this time…

My first symptom — abdominal pain — started eight months before my diagnosis. Because I had been healthy my entire life, and because the pain came and went through the months and wasn't consistent, I didn't think it was serious. Twice I thought it might be a urinary tract infection: I saw a same-day physician assistant the first time and…

Starting in July 2011, I started experiencing strange health issues mainly stemming from an eye disease that causes blindness, which is typically a result of an autoimmune disease. This led to getting poked and prodded over my whole body, blood and urine labs done weekly, full-body scans (MRIs, CAT scans, PET scans), and even getting examined by the best doctors…

I was first diagnosed with Granulosa Cell Tumor (GCT) ovarian cancer in 2010. I discovered the tumor when I was training for my first half marathon. I noticed that I had a hard bulge near my waistline that just simply shouldn't be there. To be honest, I was quite distracted at the time. Nine months prior I had started a new…

As an avid sailor and lover of all things nautical, Kathy Heck alongside her husband Eric has learned that living with a diagnosis of ovarian cancer is much like being a sailor, calm seas are sometimes met with rough seas, and adjusting one's sails is needed to stay afloat. "I'm pleased to say I just celebrating my 6th plus year…