On Monday 8 Feb St Albans Soroptimists and guests were joined by Nicky Thompson Chair of The Dianne Oxberry Trust dianneoxberrytrust.org at the Club Meeting on Zoom.
Nicky talked passionately about her friend, Dianne Oxberry, a well known BBC TV and Radio Broadcaster in the North West of England who died very soon after a diagnosis of ovarian cancer and in whose memory the Trust was formed. Nicky is a natural story teller who made 
an impression on everyone attending. Speaking from the heart and without notes she spoke of a ‘friendly, straight-talking weather presenter’ well known in the North West; a no-nonsense-woman with good judgement and a strong moral compass, who was mad about horses, dogs and life; an incredible mum and gifted broadcaster who behind the scenes was a champion of women and key driver for those lobbying for equal pay at the BBC. She died two years ago, just 4 weeks after seeing her GP and 2 days after her diagnosis of ovarian cancer. Her husband, in shock and deluged with support, set up the charity in record time and by the end of the year £150,000 had been donated and was used to support bereaved families and research into ovarian cancer, the 4th main cause of cancer in women. The charity decided moving forward they would aim to make a difference by educating and informing women of this disease, a silent killer, and seek to improve the outcomes for women.
Nicky described a number of barriers which contribute to late diagnosis –
- A range of disparate symptoms which make it difficult to identify such as feeling bloated, feeling constipated, peeing a lot, and pain in the abdomen
- Women don’t like troubling their GPs when the symptoms are not specific and tend to ignore them. This is becoming more common among younger women 1 in 3 or whom are not attending for smear tests, for example.
- It may seem a bit embarrassing
- The pandemic and pressure on medical services
- The lack of a diagnostic test resulting in late or misdiagnosis
Despite the potential challenges to all women from this disease, there is a clear spike in cases among women over 50, key features of which are
- going through the menopause
- suffering from endometriosis
- having had children
- a familial history of ovarian or breast cancer
Nicky said that raising awareness is an uphill battle, but the Trust was encouraging women to be aware of their bodies, and particularly changes in the way your body feels. She asked everyone to harness the power of 3, sign up to follow the Trust, and share information about the disease on social media. There is a direct correlation between early diagnosis and better outcomes, and the earlier women consult their GPs the better. She encouraged members to lobby for a test, and support funding for research. It’s a women’s cancer, which can affect any woman, is brutal, and takes women at too young an age.
There were 26 of us on Zoom – all hanging on Nicky’s every word and asking great questions at the end too. Guests included Soroptimists from as far afield as Cologne in Germany plus friends and relatives of Members.
The rest of the meeting was spent on planning and organising Club activities and included a short period of socialising in breakout groups. Notes will be sent separately to Club Members.
What a thought provoking way to spend a Monday evening in Lockdown!