Sunderland mum battling incurable ovarian cancer raises more than £17,000 for good causes

In August 2018, doctors told Ann-Marie Sproston that she had stage 4B ovarian cancer after being diagnosed with a lymphedema in her leg.

The mum-of-two, who lives in New Herrington, began four rounds of gruelling chemotherapy treatment before she had a hysterectomy in December 2018 and two final rounds of chemotherapy.

By March 2019, Ann-Marie, who is the oldest of 10 siblings, was given the all clear but months later she found a lump in her neck.

Biopsy tests show the ovarian cancer had returned and the 43-year-old received the ‘devastating’ diagnosis in December 2019 that her cancer was treatable but not curable.

She underwent 10 sessions radiotherapy and was placed on drug tamoxifen to keep the cancer at bay until the mum, who works as a civil servant for HMRC, found further lumps under her armpit and in her groin.

Now the inspirational mum is on her fourth of six rounds of chemotherapy before she will be placed on a new drug – which she is eligible for following the relapse.

"I was the worst case scenario when I was first diagnosed,” said Ann-Marie, who is mum to Declan, 19, and 16-year-old Sinead.

"When I was first diagnosed I put a bit of a block up and I didn’t want to know anything just what treatment I needed. I was all clear for about seven to eight months before it came back and doctors thought it would come back so quickly because of how far along the cancer was.

"My family have been amazing, my kids and my husband John – I wouldn’t have been able to through it without them.

"To be told the cancer was incurable I was devastated, gutted, especially for the kids.

"My daughter was 16 last weekend and we had a bit of a party – I never know when I’ll see the next birthday.

"I live each day as it comes.”

Since her diagnosis, Ann-Marie has organised coffee mornings and raffle events and even managed to find ways to raise funds for good causes during the Covid-19 pandemic through Easter Egg cheesecake sales.

Despite her own struggles, Ann-Marie has helped raise £17,422.50 for a string of good causes including Target Ovarian Cancer, Macmillan Cancer Support, the hospital wards she was treated on and St Benedict's Hospice.

"My family have been such an amazing help,” said Ann-Marie. “I couldn’t have done it without them. The men in the family all took part in Movember and raised more than £3,000.

"My first coffee morning in March 2019 we raised £1,960 and the following year we topped £8,600 – I was just totally gobsmacked.

"I can’t thank people enough for donating and helping with raffle prizes. The whole community had been amazing.

"I’m hoping to do something a bit bigger and better in the future too. I want to host a black tie event at some point so hopefully I will be able to do that.”

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