A STUDLEY woman is hoping to raise awareness of ovarian cancer through a fundraising walk in memory of her mother.
Joanne Stanford, 33, has set up her own ‘Walk in Her Name’ which will cover 13.5 miles from Cannock Chase Visitor Centre, through the Sherbrook Valley on Saturday (March 18).
The mum-of-two, who is a cancer prevention officer for Ovarian Cancer Action, has organised the walk in memory of her mother, Barbara, who died from ovarian cancer in 2006 aged 56.
Hoping to spread awareness of the symptoms, which can include bloating, stomach pain and difficulty eating, Joanne said: “My message is to know your body, know what’s normal for you and if you start experiencing the symptoms and they are new for you, speak up.
“It is so vitally important that everyone knows the symptoms of ovarian cancer, it’s not the silent killer it’s made out to be.
“The symptoms can be mistaken for other things, or women put off going to their GP because they don’t want to bother them.”
Joanne, who has inherited a BRCA mutation from her mum which means she has a 60 per cent chance of getting ovarian cancer, is also spreading awareness that men can be impacted by genetic mutations too.
“Men are just as likely as women to have them, they are passed down through men and there is a 50/50 chance of passing them onto your children,” she said.
“Men have an increased risk of breast cancer, prostate cancer and for some mutations, colorectal cancer too.
“A man with a BRCA2 mutation has the same chance of getting breast cancer in his life as a ‘normal’ woman.”
The ‘Walk in Her Name’ will start at 11am from Cannock Chase Visitor Centre on Saturday (March 18).
Visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Joanne-Stanford to donate and visit www.ovarian.org.uk for more information about BRCA or hereditary ovarian cancer.
