A hairdresser who put her weight loss and period irregularity down to stress was shocked when doctors revealed she had ovarian cancer.
Sarah Burns, 25, began to experience bleeding in between her periods, shorter cycles and weight loss in December 2019.
Initially, she put the symptoms down to stress, believing she couldn't be ill as she was 'young, fit and ate well'.
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But after eight months of living with continuing issues, Sarah said her 'gut feeling' was that she needed to go to the doctors.
She told CheshireLive : "My story begins in December 2019 when I started to experience bleeding in between my periods and my cycle became shorter and I had started to lose weight.
"I initially put it down to stress but my gut was telling me to go to the doctors.
"The doctor ran a full set of bloods and arranged an ultrasound 'just in case its cancer'.
"To be honest I didn't think that was even a remote possibility; I was young, fit and ate well.
"Now, months after my diagnosis I will be eternally grateful for that particular doctor for her swift action as I know for many women that is normally not the case leading to a late diagnosis."
Sarah, from Knutsford, endured more than a year of tests, treatment and surgery including an ultrasound which found a 10cm mass on her left ovary.
She was then told by doctors she had the rare ovarian cancer called mucinous ovarian cancer (MOC).
Following being hit with the cancer diagnosis there was further surgery to remove her left ovary and fallopian tube to ensure the disease had not spread outside the pelvis.
After going through extensive treatment Sarah is now clear of the cancer, however she lives with the fear of it returning.
The hairdresser has also undergone two rounds of IVF to save eggs and has for now opted against chemotherapy, as that would end her hopes of having children naturally and also it does not work as well against MOC.
The hairstylist was also forced to take almost a year off work and is delighted to have returned and thanked her employers and colleagues for the ‘fantastic support’ she had received.
Due to MOC’s rarity, it’s estimated there are only around 200 diagnoses a year in the UK and there is no active research or clinical trials.
That’s a position Sarah is determined to change.
The hairdresser has launched her own fund-raising campaign for urgently needed research into the disease in a bid to help other women like her.
Sarah launched The MOC Project, an initiative dedicated to raising awareness and funds for the UK’s first research into the cancer.
She said her goal is to get the scientific community interested in researching the cancer and raise the necessary funds to get work underway.
Sarah said: “I am extremely passionate about this and refuse to wait around to see if my cancer returns and I get the same grim prognosis five years down the line.
“I am determined to make the change for women like me. Ovarian cancer does not discriminate and can affect women of all ages."
There is currently no screening test for ovarian cancer, and it is often misdiagnosed resulting in only 15 per cent of patients being diagnosed at Stage 1 when it is most treatable.
Sarah added: “It is so important to advocate for your own health. This is me taking control of my situation and doing something about it, sometimes it’s hard, but I will not let it win.”
The Knutsford hairdresser has already raised £7,500, despite the pandemic forcing the cancellation of a sponsored London-Paris bike ride, and has a special ticketed event later this month where she aims to double that amount.
She said: “I hope that ovarian cancer will follow in the footsteps of breast cancer and receive much-needed funding to start saving women’s lives.
“I am hoping we can gain momentum with the campaign so that a UK gynaecological charity will support the grant as there is a massive inequality in ovarian cancer funding and it seems as if MOC has just been forgotten about.
"I hope someone will come along and be interested in researching treatment options because they are very limited at present.”
Since telling her story on social media and launching the fundraising, Sarah has been contacted by other sufferers in the UK and across the world and she hopes the project can be a source of support for women in a similar position.
She also urged all women to seek early medical advice if they suspected something was not right.
To donate to Sarah's fundraising page, please click here .
Now she is finalising plans for an August 21 fundraising day with food, games, drag act and DJ at the John Alker Club in Flixton, Manchester.
