Devon main raises thousands to increase awareness of ovarian cancer

Shelly had started to feel tired and was experiencing a bit of bloating and discomfort in her abdomen. Having recently changed jobs she put it down to stress – just one of those things.

When her symptoms continued Shelly got an appointment with her GP. After an initial diagnosis of ovarian cysts, further tests confirmed that Shelly had stage 3 ovarian cancer.

“As soon as they told us Shelly’s diagnosis, they explained that it had spread too far to have any sort of operation, so she went straight onto a chemotherapy plan,” said Adam.

In March 2022, during an appointment at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, Shelly and Adam were told that the cancer had spread to a point that treatment could help control it but no longer improve Shelly’s condition.

“It was hard to hear, but we kept positive and continued to make plans for the future. In June we went on a holiday to Cornwall with our son and made some wonderful family memories. When we got back, we returned to hospital for Shell’s next chemo and that’s when they gave us the option for a new medication – Doxorubicin is a chemotherapy drug also known as Adriamycin. It could prolong Shell’s life for a couple of years, but there was no guarantee it would work.

“At that point I wanted to start doing something to help support others in a similar situation to us, so I signed up for a Race For Life and started our ‘Running for Shelly’ Facebook page.”

Shelly started a course of Adriamycin that month but quickly began to experience side effects.

“She was struggling to keep any food down. We wanted her to stay at home with us for as long as possible but eventually she had to be admitted hospital. I’m so grateful I was able to stay in the room with her for those last few days.”

Shelly passed away on 23 July 2022. Less than a year after receiving her diagnosis.

“One of the last things Shell said to me was ‘you have to stay fit and healthy for our boy’, so after the Race For Life event I wanted to do more. I knew that she had been following Target Ovarian Cancer on Facebook so I got in touch to see how I could get involved… and the marathon training began!”

Since signing up for the London Marathon in November last year with his sister-in-law Kayla, they have raised over £10,000 for Target Ovarian Cancer – with Adam losing 11 stone in the process.

“Running has been good for me both physically and mentally. If I feel down, stressed, or just need to clear my head, then going for a run really helps.

“When the big day arrived, I was just excited to get going. I knew that Kayla and I had trained hard, and I was confident we would finish. The atmosphere along the route was incredible and we knew why we were there, and that Shell was with us – to be honest I could have kept going all day!”

True to his word, Adam has kept going. He’s signed up to take part in the Great North Run for Target Ovarian Cancer this September and continues to raise awareness throughout the local community.

“I have a great support network to help me organise different events and update our fundraising page – everyone is more than happy to get involved. This summer we hosted a charity football match and are continuing to spread awareness of ovarian cancer and its symptoms with posters, leaflets, and just chatting to people.”

One of these posters inspired one woman to reach out to her GP after recognising the symptoms in herself – and has since received a diagnosis.

“Information is important. If we had known more about this disease, then Shell might still be with us today. I’m determined to keep raising awareness until everyone knows the symptoms of ovarian cancer and what to look out for.”

Adam is also passionate about making sure people know cervical screenings (smear tests) do not detect ovarian cancer, according to Target Ovarian Cancer’s latest research 40% of women wrongly believe that the cervical screening detects ovarian cancer. It does not.

Adam said, “Shell was invited to a routine smear test in the Spring before she died. I think at the time we had laughed about it as we knew that Shell’s cancer was incurable, and we were just trying to make the most of the moments we had left together. The smear test came back clear – nothing was detected – even though she had cancer elsewhere. But that is because the cervical screening does not detect ovarian cancer.

“By sharing our story, I want to make sure women know that they need to be aware of the symptoms of ovarian cancer as well as going to the health screenings that are available as required.”

“Shell and I were soul mates. We’d been together for over 20 years, and she’s the inspiration behind everything we’re doing to help save other people’s lives. That chance to make a difference – that’s what gets me up in the morning.”

Join Team Target at the Great North Run this autumn and help Target Ovarian Cancer transform the future for everyone affected by ovarian cancer.