A closeup of a couple holding hands

A message for our community

A message from our Chief Executive, Annwen Jones, on the current events and our commitment to supporting women with ovarian cancer.

In these unprecedented times, I wanted to reassure you that Target Ovarian Cancer is still here for you.

The women we work with frequently tell us that ovarian cancer can be a very isolating disease, and many of you are now self-isolating further. We know that many of you are acutely concerned. Please know that we are doing everything we can to maintain our services and to be there for those who need us.

If you have had a diagnosis of ovarian cancer or know someone who has, and are feeling worried about the coronavirus (Covid-19) specifically, Target Ovarian Cancer is committed to providing up to date guidance, which you can find on our website. As part of the One Cancer Voice coalition of leading cancer charities, we are working to update this information regularly. 

The need for our services has never been greater. Our Support Line remains open and we will continue to prioritise this service above all others – please do call 020 7923 5475 or email [email protected] if you have any questions, or even if you just fancy a chat.

You can also browse all our information, support and guides on our website, and if you are a woman who has had a diagnosis of ovarian cancer who would like to chat to others, please do join our private In Touch Facebook group

The need to raise awareness and improve early diagnosis continues, as 20 women will continue to be diagnosed with ovarian cancer every day. Don’t forget that our ‘It’s time to TAKE OVAR’ campaign is still running and we still need as many people as possible to sign our call to action and demand early diagnosis. Despite everything going on in the news, it is so important that we use this time to gather our strength as a community, so we are ready to step up the challenge once things are more normal.

We are devastated that we have had to postpone our fundraising and support events over the next few weeks. For those further ahead, we will let those signed up know as soon as a decision has been taken. Run for Mum, our brand new event that was due to take place this Sunday, had already raised over £52,000 – money that helps to fund our Support Line, train GPs, or fund medical research. Our fantastic supporters had trained and fundraised so hard, and many had personal reasons for running on Mother’s Day specifically. We share their disappointment and look forward to advising of new dates for this and our other events soon.  

Target Ovarian Cancer is the charity we are because of the relationships we share with you, our supporters. Although we will not be seeing each other in person in the short term, please do stay in touch if there is anything we can do to help, or for a chat. We are stronger together, and together we will continue to raise awareness, fund research and save lives.