At age 34, Sarah Luxon received the devastating news that she had stage 4 low-grade serous ovarian cancer. Just 8 months after her second surgery, with the support of her two best friends, Sarah completed the gruelling 62 km of Southland’s Hump Ridge Track.
With ovarian cancers having a 5 year survival rate of just 37%, her diagnosis caused upheaval for Sarah and her family as they tried to come to terms with the levels of uncertainty and the challenges the diagnosis poses to both small and big life decisions.
Sarah navigated her way through 2 major surgeries (that resulted in her losing her ovaries, fallopian tubes, cervix, uterus, appendix and parts of her bowel and abdominal muscles) and 6 rounds of chemo in the midst of the global pandemic.
Last week, just 8 months after her second surgery, Sarah completed an extraordinary challenge. She strapped on her hiking boots, and with the support of two of her best friends, she tramped the gruelling 62 km of Southland’s Hump Ridge Track.
Sarah took on this challenge to bring awareness to ovarian cancer during Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month (February) and raise funds for research.. It is not a well-understood cancer, there is no screening programme, there has been very little research, and due to the symptoms being vague diagnosis often comes too late. It remains overlooked and poorly funded.
Sarah also set this goal for personal reasons – to challenge her body and to have the chance to see some of New Zealand’s beautiful landscape and swim with dolphins. Sarah achieved all that and more. She also learned to be more compassionate to herself and to celebrate her body for all it had endured.
Every day, one woman is diagnosed with ovarian cancer in New Zealand, yet it is not widely known. Sarah herself didn’t know anything about it until she had been diagnosed. She wishes it was more widely discussed:
“Cervical screening is fantastic, but it doesn’t detect ovarian cancer. Ovarian Cancer symptoms can be vague, but it’s worth paying attention to your gut feelings. About a year before I was diagnosed, I frustratedly moaned to my husband that it felt like my body was breaking down – surely I was too young for that?? My bowel changes, period issues, my lump, my severe fatigue, my painful bloating. It turned out to be all related – and not due to age.”
You can support Sarah by donating to her givealittle page during February (Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month). All funds go to Cure Our Ovarian Cancer, a charity set up by Jane Ludemann, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at age 32. The charity provides support to women with ovarian cancer, raises awareness, raises funds for research and advocates for changes to our health system with the aim to have better outcomes for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
If you experience any of the symptoms below for two weeks, get them checked by your doctor:
- Bloating
- Abdominal, pelvic or back pain
- Eating less or feeling full more quickly than usual
- Peeing more or urgently
- Change in bowel habits
- Indigestion
- Unexplained weight loss or gain
- Painful intercourse
- Fatigue
- Menstrual irregularities
