Our Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge

We did it!! In 11 hours 45 minutes (despite the thick fog and pouring rain!).

Kirsty Lashbrooke and Richard Bendell are going to be walking the Yorkshire Three Peaks on Saturday 10th July 2010 to raise funds and awareness for Ovarian Cancer.

We are going to be walking 26 miles with ascents totalling approx 5200 feet.  We are aiming to complete the challenge in under 12 hours (weather and fitness permitting!!).

Any support or sponsorship that you can give will be hugely appreciated.

As many of you will know Kirsty, Ben, Barnaby and Sam's mum was diagnosed in her 50s, with ovarian cancer, on Christmas Eve 2007.  In 2008 she had major surgery followed by lengthy chemotherapy in order to achieve a remission period.  The cancer started to return in 2009 and Lynne is now in the middle of more gruelling chemotherapy which we hope will control her symptoms and achieve another remission period.  The side effects leave her feeling extremely tired and sick much of the time.  

Lynne is an inspiration to us - she is so brave and positive.  Despite her diagnosis and treatment she always puts others first and is one of the most selfless and loving people we know.  We hope that by helping to raise awareness of ovarian cancer, and helping to fund research into the disease, diagnosis can be made earlier and treatment more effective.  We hope it will help to reduce the number of women (and their families) that have to go through what Lynne has been through during the last two and a half years. 

Lynne Says...
"I am so very proud that Kirsty and Richard are taking on this amazing challenge in my honour.

It is vital that everyone becomes more aware of this insidious disease that is ovarian cancer.

I visited my GP several times during the nine months before I was actually diagnosed.  I was also referred (privately) to a gynaecologist who I also saw several times.  Neither of them picked up on my symptons nor did any tests for ovarian cancer.  (Though, being a cynic, I noted the consultant was certainly diligent when it came to sending the bills!) 

A simple CA125 blood test would have shown up this disease. I didn't know anything about ovarian cancer.  Well, cancer happens to other people doesn't it?  If I had been aware of the symptons I would have been able to press the doctors to take action.  If I had been diagnosed nine months previously my illness might not now be as serious as it is.

So awareness of this and other gynaecological cancers is vitally important for us all and especially for the medical profession."

Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian cancer is the 5th most common cancer in women, with almost 7,000 cases diagnosed each year.  It is the highest gynaecological killer of women in the UK and the fourth most common cause of death from cancer in women.  The UK survival rate is amongst the lowest in the Western World, and has not improved significantly in over 20 years.

Ovarian Cancer Action is the leading ovarian cancer charity in the UK. Ovarian Cancer Action funds research into ovarian cancer, raises awareness of the disease and gives a voice to women affected by it. Ovarian cancer kills 12 women a day in the UK, and survival rates are low at 40%, compared to 80% for breast cancer. They urgently need to raise £10million for the new Ovarian Cancer Action research centre, at Imperial College London, the UK’s first ever research facility entirely dedicated to ovarian cancer. Thanks to a large increase in research spending on breast cancer, survival rates have increased by over 20% in the last decade. Ovarian Cancer Action believes that, with the same input, we can make a similar impact on ovarian cancer.

If found in the early stages, up to 90% of women will survive for more than five years. Unfortunately, most women in the UK are not diagnosed with ovarian cancer until it has already spread, making successful treatment difficult, and survival rates much lower.

There is currently no proven screening tool for ovarian cancer but a large-scale screening trial is underway and initial results are encouraging – especially in terms of the number of cases of ovarian cancer being detected early. However, there are several years to go before the trial is completed, and the researchers will need to assess survival rates to get a clearer idea of how effectively these screening methods translate into saving lives. Improving awareness of the common symptoms of ovarian cancer and developing a better understanding of how to treat it more effectively through investment in research, will play a vital role in ensuring women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer at an earlier stage and they receive the most effective treatment.

90% of ovarian cancers are not 'familial'. This means that most women will not have any family history of this cancer, so they may not be aware of symptoms and risk factors.

Awareness of the disease and its symptoms is low but there is growing evidence that suggests that greater awareness could save lives. In 2007, research commissioned by Ovarian Cancer Action on the awareness of ovarian cancer, demonstrated that only 16% of women mentioned the disease when asked to name cancers they were aware of, and 66% of women were unable to cite any of the symptoms of ovarian cancer.

Recent research has shown that most women do experience symptoms, particularly very frequent, persistent and sudden onset ones, and these can occur in the early stages of ovarian cancer.

The UK has poor survival rates, and is positioned seventh in the list of European Countries for high ovarian cancer incidence and mortality rates.

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