Speaker Sylvia Pearl of Dianne Oxberry Trust
Sushi welcomed Sylvia, and Gill a volunteer ambassador for the Trust. This charity was founded
following the death of TV presenter Dianne Oxberry who died from ovarian cancer in January 2019. With just ten
days between her diagnosis from the disease and her death, they are committed to raising awareness of the
importance of early diagnosis.
Sylvia told us she has spoken to many Soroptimist clubs via Zoom, and welcomed their support for the Trust.
She explained that Dianne has been a news presenter on North West Tonight, and an investigative
journalist. Her husband and friends formed the Trust to raise awareness of the symptoms and the
need for early diagnosis. Sylvia spoke of the Trust’s SPREAD THE WORD campaign. Gill then
identified some of the signs; if present for 3 weeks or more see your GP. Speed of diagnosis is the
single biggest factor in securing a positive outcome to an ovarian cancer diagnosis.
W weeing more often
O overly bloated feeling
R reduced appetite
D dull ache or pain in pelvis or tummy
Other signs to look out for are extreme tiredness/fatigue, bleeding after menopause, painful sex.
Gill also spoke about her own journey with ovarian cancer. A number of people have experienced problems in
getting a diagnosis from their GP and attention needs to be given to this issue.
Questions followed – As a small charity with limited funds, the Trust’s focus is to raise awareness. The Trust and
the national Target Ovarian Cancer support each other. The Trust also signposts to other relevant charities such
as Macmillan, Maggie Centres. There are opportunities for SITV to display information at meetings and events
locally and Sylvia offered to provide this information.
Mary thanked both speakers for their interesting and informative talk.