In honour of World Ovarian Cancer Day, Danielle Quinn, Hood’s Head of Social Media & Content Creation, shares her personal journey as she navigates her way through her experience.

Could you tell us a bit about your journey with cancer, from when you first noticed symptoms to your diagnosis and treatment?

My notable symptoms started at the end of October last year. I noticed that my abdomen was continually swollen and uncomfortable, growing in size each day, to the extent that made me contact my GP three times within the space of a week. I was told by the GP not to worry and it was likely to be an IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) flare up or gastroenteritis. I was sent home with peppermint capsules. My last meeting with the GP was on a Friday and by the Saturday afternoon I was in so much pain that I phoned an ambulance to take me to A&E. The on-call doctor was a gynaecologist, fortunately, and informed me straight away that I was extremely unwell and admitted me to an urgent ward. Over the course of the next seven days I had numerous tests, which included, internal ultrasounds, MRIs, Blood Tests, CT Scans. During the course of testing, I was treated for severe abdominal swelling and had to have a small operation to have a drain fitted. Within 24 hours there were six litres of unknown fluids removed from my abdomen.

After this operation I was allowed home for a short time awaiting test results. By mid-November I had a lengthy, two-hour meeting with the surgeon, who informed me they had found a large tumour sitting on the tissue of my ovary wall, a large cyst within each ovary and also a large number of endometriosis cells. At the time they were confident that the tumour would be benign, however, I was told to be prepared for all eventualities.

The original surgery planned was a full hysterectomy, the surgeon wanted to be - in his words - "quite aggressive". As I am young and otherwise very healthy, the idea was to perform as much surgery as necessary in order to hopefully avoid any further in the future. As there were many unknown factors I was asked to sign a form that would give the surgeon permission to carry out any further surgery if they felt this was required as the MRI had shown some more anomalies all around the abdomen.

After my meeting, I had a phone call just two days later to tell me my surgery day was booked for just a day's time away, which of course made me aware of how urgent the situation was.

Danielle’s two hour surgery turned into seven hours - “10 organs lighter was no mean feat and the road to recovery was very slow and steady”.

The proposed surgery should have been two hours, however mid-procedure the surgeon changed to a full open surgery to remove more organs and cells. I had a full hysterectomy, removal of spleen, pancreas, a part of the bowel, lower left diaphragm, omentum and two large cysts, tumour and endometriosis cells. The total surgery time was seven hours and I spent two days in intensive care.

Recovery was very slow and painful, the surgery was very invasive and in total I had ten organs removed. At the time of recovery the team were still confident that this was not cancerous, but until you receive the pathology you can’t be sure. And as it turns out, unfortunately, just two days before Christmas I had a call that changed everything. I was informed that in fact the tumour and surrounding cells were Stage 3 Low Grade Serous Carcinoma, which is a rarer kind of Ovarian Cancer. Just five short days after diagnosis I was at the Beatson Cancer Centre to discuss my treatment.

Can you tell us a little more about the signs that led you to seek medical attention?

For me, my body was telling me over and over that something wasn't right. I have always been fit and healthy and just simply couldn't understand why I always had a protruding lower abdomen. Every month, I would also be in severe pain and have extremely heavy periods. I just thought "this is normal, it's just me getting older". The major sign though was of course severe abdominal swelling. I was unable to eat anything at all for nearly a week as I felt nauseous all the time. I also couldn't sleep as lying on my side or front was extremely painful.

How did you navigate the healthcare system once you suspected something was wrong?

I felt completely let down by my GP practice and was sent away three times within the space of a week and told "not to worry". However, once I was admitted to the hospital, I couldn't fault the care and attention provided by all of the nursing staff, surgeons and doctors.

Receiving a cancer diagnosis can be an overwhelming experience. Can you share what was going through your mind when you received yours. How did you cope with the news initially?

You are never really prepared in life to be told you have cancer, especially as the outcome of the surgery and the anticipated diagnosis was not cancer at all. I just remember feeling a little numb. Christmas was certainly a bit of a blur and within a week of diagnosis I was already at the Beatson Centre talking through chemo, radiotherapy, hair loss and other potential treatments. Things that just had never crossed my mind, and also at this time I was still in incredible pain from the surgery, at times it was very overwhelming. But I accepted the outcome quite quickly and worked alongside my medical team to determine the best care and ongoing treatments

What steps did you take to educate yourself about your condition and available treatments?

This was a massive factor for me, Low Grade Serous Carcinoma accounts for under 8% of all ovarian cancers and is not well researched at all. In fact my pathology was dealt with by a team in the US to provide the diagnosis as it was not available for testing in the UK.

I was a little disappointed to hear from my doctor that "as a blanket" all cancers across the NHS are recommended to take either chemotherapy or radiotherapy. However, on doing my own research, there was nothing to support that either of those treatments would make any real difference to my type of cancer. And due to my immune system now being compromised - it would hit me hard.

I decided to investigate other options and after further MRIs, CTs, and Blood Tests (which I requested) it was decided that I would forgo chemo or radiotherapy and instead go on preventative cancer medication for up to ten years. I am still in the early stages of trying various medications, but I am glad that I decided to do my own research and push back against the "only option" I was offered.

How has your experience with cancer affected you emotionally, including diagnosis, during your treatment and in your recovery?

I believe that I am a very resilient and positive person. This really helped me massively through diagnosis and recovery. Don't get me wrong, there were very low days, days when I was in severe pain, unable to wash myself or go to the bathroom; and even those days where you have to remind yourself that you are now a cancer patient.

I really try to focus on the positives each day. I have my strength and health back. I have recovered well from the surgery. I do a lot more of the things that make me happy and certainly try to enjoy the little things in life. I have really been loving taking more time for self care, eating that burger if I want to and embracing life in a different light - my advice for anyone going through similar - buy the shoes, book the holiday and 100% do only what truly makes you happy.

Returning to the gym has been key to Danielle’s recovery journey

Returning to full strength after cancer treatment can be a lengthy process. What strategies have you used to regain your strength and overall well-being?

After three months of slow recovery - I was allowed to walk and not much else. I am now back at the gym, slow and steady to build strength back. The gym really is incredible for not only your body but also for your mental health and no one can ever say they regret a workout! Pairing the gym with lots of self care evenings really is getting me back to an overall sense of normality.

As an influencer, you have a platform to raise awareness about important health issues. How do you use your experience with cancer to advocate for others and spread awareness?

I often think that I should use my voice more online to talk about the importance of noticing the signs and be more open about how the surgery has affected my everyday life. Being 39 and in surgical menopause has been a challenging time. I do feel that there are so many women out there experiencing the same and we should be more open to discussing these topics and help each other in our own journeys.

With Catherine, Princess of Wales seemingly having a similar experience to yours there is currently an increased attention on abdominal surgery and gynecologic cancers. What message would you like to share on World Ovarian Cancer Day regarding the importance of early detection and support for those affected by the disease?

It certainly struck home when Kate announced her abdominal surgery and subsequent cancer diagnosis. Obviously, we don’t know what she is going through specifically but it is reassuring to see and hear that it has brought ovarian cancer to the forefront of people's mind. My advice is please, please, do not ignore any sign of something not being right in your body. If you are unwell contact your GP or Out of Hours services. Do not feel that you are a burden on any service available to you. The NHS is incredible and I am truly grateful for all of the support and care they have provided me through my surgery and ongoing treatment.

I would also like to just say to anyone that may be unsure how to chat or engage with a friend or loved one going through any cancer related diagnosis or treatment is to keep it upbeat. Choose positive, encouraging words, but don't give false hope or talk about anyone else's cancer outcomes. Remember, everyone is different and will deal with their diagnosis in their own way. Just be sure to actively listen and be on hand if they need to bend your ear.

If you would like to ask any further questions or discuss your own journey feel free to contact Danielle via her Instagram account _danielle_quinn

For more information on ovarian cancer and support contact Target Ovarian Cancer.

Navigating Ovarian Cancer: Danielle Quinn's Personal Journey