Dear friends and colleagues,

 I hope you had a good holiday break and may 2022 bring happiness, health and prosperity in your lives.

 As some of you are aware, 2021 was not a good year for me because the ovarian cancer I had in January 2017 returned in February 2021. I was lucky that it was still operable and another course of chemo was recommended for five months. I am now clear of cancer but since I had a recurrence, there is a strong likelihood that it will come back. Due to the tremendous progress in science, I am now taking orally a maintenance drug, Olaparib, which wasn’t available four years ago. Medical research in ovarian cancer is fundamental, since this cancer is called the “silent killer” due to the fact that there are no symptoms so by the time you realize you have it, its too late!

Of the gynecological cancers, Ovarian Cancer is responsible for causing the most deaths, it has a very low cure rate. 

Despite the fact that most women respond well to their chemotherapy treatment initially, more than 80% will go to relapse and develop resistance to treatment. There are currently no effective drugs available to overcome this. 

For this reason, I am trying to help raise money for The Ovarian Fund through the Imperial College Health Charity, led by Dr Natasha Rinnie, under the supervision of Professor Christina Fotopoulou. 

Dr Natasha’s research is looking at improving the understanding of the biology of the disease, and at discovering new treatment options. She hopes that these new treatments will make women who have relapsed, begin to respond to their chemotherapy again, and so improve their survival. She is now over half-way through her research, but there is still so much to do! Your donations will go DIRECTLY to the charity so that the team can continue to find new ways to fight this disease. 

This research is so important and will help so many women who suffer from this dreadful disease. I am certain that sadly, you know someone in your life who has had or is currently battling with Ovarian Cancer.

 Therefore, I am asking you to support me in my participation of the Goodwood 10k run for the Ovarian Cancer Fund on 13 February with my dearest friend Linda Woodhouse and her husband Mark. I have started training again and I hope that I will be able to complete the run even if I walk parts of it. Linda and I are determined to finish it together!

 Thank you in advance for your continued support as I navigate yet again in ominous and treacherous waters.

 Love to all,

 Ellie