EVERY 10 hours an Australian woman dies from ovarian cancer.
Letitia Linke, Maitland, is passionate about improving this statistic, and is working to educate women about the insidious disease.
Last year, she became an ambassador for Ovarian Cancer Australia and the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation, sharing her brave two-year fight.
At just 34 years of age the mother of two young boys felt a lump in her abdomen.
She was reassured by doctors that due to her age, it was probably just a hernia but a biopsy of her ovaries revealed ovarian cancer.
Within days she had a hyserectomy to remove her ovaries, uterus and part of her cervix. Following this she endured 18 gruelling weeks of chemotherapy and five weeks of radiotherapy.
Her latest scan is clear but she remains cautiously optimistic given the high recurrence of ovarian cancer.
She is still on maintenance chemotherapy once a month and hormone treatment.
Letitia says Witchery’s White Shirt campaign has raised awareness of the cancer, but with about 1500 women diagnosed each year in Australia, an early detection test is desperately needed.
This would improve the odds of survival considerably, with at least 80 per cent of women who are diagnosed early surviving beyond five years, compared to just 20pc to 30pc of those detected at a more advanced stage.
The condition can often be mistaken for endometriosis.
“If you think something is wrong, persist,” she said.
“If you are not happy with a diagnosis, go back. Ovarian cancer can be missed or diagnosed at late stage because the symptoms are so vague.”
She also wants to dispel the misconception it is a disease only affecting women aged 50 or older, or that it will be picked up in a pap smear.
“Everyone said because of my age it would be fine, but I have met many women my age in the chemo wards,” she said.
“Unfortunately this happens to people everywhere.”
Symptoms include abdominal bloating, a change in bowel habits, frequent urination and back pain, but she had few of these warning signs. Women with family members who have had breast cancer or ovarian cancer at a young age may be at a higher genetic risk.
Letitia is cherishing time with her husband Paul and their sons Tommy and Ollie.
When her treatment allows, she also works in her successful interior design business, The White Shed.
“If there is something that I have got an opportunity to do I will do it and not think twice about it,” she said.
“Or if there is something the boys want to do, we do it. It makes you very grateful for your life.”
Fun event for an important cause
ORGANISERS of the inaugural Adelaide Silver Style Cocktail Party on Saturday, October 15, are inviting people of all ages to kick up their heels for a good cause.
Letitia is coordinating the gala evening at the Published Art House with a group of friends, including her sister-in-law, obstetrician and gynaecologist Alison Munt.
The night is being held in support of the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation.
The committee hopes to raise at least $50,000 for the foundation’s research into a cost-effective, early detection test and more targeted treatment methods.
Ovarian cancer is less common than breast cancer, but has a much higher mortality rate.
“There is a breast screen, there is a pap smear, but there is nothing for ovarian cancer,” she said.
“That is where we need to be as aware and well funded and researched as breast cancer.”
Letitia says the support from SA businesses has been overwhelming, with a long list of donations, including 200 bottles of wine from SA wineries for the mystery bottle competition.
Adelaide Obstetrics and Fertility – where Letitia was diagnosed – is the premium sponsor.
Tickets cost $150 and will include canapes from executive chef Daniel Brooks and wines from Adelaide Hills winery Wicks Estate.
Wine writer Nick Ryan will emcee the cocktail party, with music by Amity Dry, the Hepburn band and DJ Libby to get the crowd dancing.
- Details: trybooking.com/197451 or Letitia Linke 0439 532 836