Angelina's Story
60-year-old Angelina, an Associate Director of Property Asset Management company from Guildford, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2018, just a month after she went into hospital with heart failure. She never would have thought that the symptoms she was having would have led to a cancer diagnosis as none were particularly severe.
She was treated at The Royal Marsden under the care of Dr John Butler as her surgeon and Dr Susana Banerjee as her consultant, receiving chemotherapy and undergoing full hysterectomy surgery. 8 months after her diagnosis, Angelina received her ‘all clear’ in October 2018 and was able to return to work full time and go back to spending quality time with family and friends, making memories and pursuing her love for travel.
I was diagnosed with heart failure- a leaking mitral valve. I’ve always had this condition, but the leaking had got to the point of my heart not functioning properly at all. I was taken into hospital the same day which is when I started the heart drugs. I already had cancer at this stage but didn’t know.
None of the other symptoms I was experiencing were really bad – I would never have known they were linked to ovarian cancer. It was nothing extreme, just little symptoms that are persistent. Incremental little things. Bloating, diarrhoea. When put together they all add up to ovarian cancer but none of them individually would stop you living your normal life or stop you going out. The symptoms for ovarian cancer are so nonspecific, it’s why they call it the silent killer and it often doesn’t get picked up until it’s Stage 3 or 4 – which says something about the survival rates.
I was in complete shock to start with. You always think it’s not going to be me – and then it is.
Once I got my diagnosis and it was definite, I just wanted to get the best surgeon and cancer treatment that I could. For me, that was John Butler and The Royal Marsden. I thought you couldn’t get better than that. I thought, if I’m going to have a chance with this, I’m in the right place. Everyone has heard of The Royal Marsden, it’s world renowned.
After cancer treatment you just want to get back to how your life was before. Every stupid cliché is true – you don’t know how good your normal life is until it’s gone. Going to work, a normal social life, seeing friends and family. I didn’t want to play a victim; I didn’t want sympathy or pity. Looking ahead to the next steps and keeping positive was a constant driver. Keep moving forward.
I’m keen to raise awareness that cancer is not always a death sentence that people think it is. With the right treatment, a positive mind, with doctors, families, and friends around you – you can get a good outcome. Getting the ‘all clear’ – over 3 years cancer free.
Between the 18th February and the 21st March – my CA125 levels went from 2000 to over 4850 which indicated how aggressive the cancer was. Once I got the cancer under control, I needed to get my heart fixed! Having a plan helped me stay positive.
At The Royal Marsden they told me – you’ll have chemo then an operation – then another 3 cycles of chemo. The worst bit was after the surgery, this treatment felt really rough. By that time, I was almost cancer free as John Butler had almost removed all the cancer which was really difficult. I knew I was a complex, high risk patient because of my heart condition on top of the cancer. It was the worst 7-8 months of my life, going through treatment and surgery but when you get the all clear – it feels like you’re walking on air, that you can conquer the world. You’re a survivor.
3 and a half years later – I’m still cancer free. My life has changed post cancer – I feel like I don’t sweat the small stuff. Living without cancer is often as hard as having it as you always think it’s going to come back. It’s always in the back of your mind. It feels like you’re walking on a cliff - you can be blown one way – to the right side of the cliff or blown completely off where you freefall into world more tests, and CT scans and uncertainty… Blown back into a world of doctors, appointments, and waiting for a prognosis. The thought of it is so scary.
When I was diagnosed as cancer free – I felt so grateful to everybody who had stood by me. I was most grateful to John Butler because he was prepared to take the risk where the outcome was never a given and to Susana Banerjee for keeping me focused on getting a good outcome from the treatment. I owe it all to the doctors and nurses at The Royal Marsden.
A huge thank you to Angelina for sharing her powerful story with us.