Name: Amanda O’Brien
Date of Diagnosis: November 15, 2018
Age at Diagnosis: 37
I live in: New Brunswick, Canada
I am: Mom to 3 beautiful girls ages 15, 11 & 8.
The cancer was found when: I had a history of extreme period cramps and irritable bowel symptoms for a long time, so the normal for me was having an upset stomach all the time. But I developed shooting pains in my sides and stomach like severe labour cramps 4-5 times. I saw my doctor who ran a bunch of tests and everything came back normal. I googled my symptoms and ovarian cancer popped up – I had all the symptoms but I still didn’t think that’s what I had. In April 2017 I had a pelvic ultrasound which was clear. In November 2018, I had another ultrasound but this time they also did an internal ultrasound too and that’s when they found a complex mass on my ovary. A few days later I had an appointment with the oncologist and they told me I had stage 4 ovarian cancer. We were all pretty shocked.
How your donation would impact me: I’m trying to take the time I have and spend it with my children and make memories. Research could find new drugs for clinical trials – which could give me more time with my family.
What I would say to someone else going through this: It’s a hard road but we’re on it. Let’s travel it gracefully and enjoy the good days.