Sue Barclay's story: living with stage 4 ovarian cancer

Описание: Ovaries. Talk About Them. is a bold movement designed to make an early detection test a reality for ovarian cancer in the next two years. Ovarian Cancer is the deadliest female cancer, yet still there is no test.

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Sue Barclay, Farmer, living with stage 4 ovarian cancer.

In a quiet moment at home, Sue's world was shattered by a phone call. A critical mistake had led to a missed diagnosis of ovarian cancer. "I just remember when he walked in," she says of her husband, "he just had to hold me up because I was just so gutted."

At just 46 years old, in 2018 Sue found she carried the BRCA gene mutation which significantly increases the risk of ovarian cancer. She consulted the best surgeon in Sydney who advised her to have her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed rather than a full hysterectomy. The operation was completed, and she was advised it was successful and she carried on with her life.

2 years later, Sue began to experience symptoms including an unusual cough, and extreme bloating. Alarmed, she went straight to the doctor and was diagnosed with Stage 4 ovarian cancer.

Confused at the diagnosis, Sue’s new medical team investigated. When the original tissue from her operation was tested again, cancer was present. Negligence had occurred - the BRCA gene had not been noted on Sue’s original pathology papers which meant a deeper level of testing was not done, and the cancer was missed. The injustice of it all was heartbreaking.

The missed diagnosis is symbolic of just how much this disease - and the women that face it - are dismissed and ignored. "If the right testing had been done in 2018, I would have had stage one ovarian cancer," she explains. The difference in prognosis was stark.

Sue's three children, who also inherited the BRCA gene, have responded with courage and resilience. "They've been so good," Sue says with pride. "They're just like, 'Mum, knowledge is power.' Despite the uphill battle, Sue remains determined. "You've got to have hope, and you've got to dig deep, and you've got to keep going," she declares.