Diana Ash had suffered from irritable bowel syndrome much of her life, but in 2019, she believed the IBS symptoms she felt were something altogether different. Her concerns were proven correct when an ultrasound indicated a mass near her abdomen the size of a “mini football.” Not long after that, she was diagnosed with Stage 1C Ovarian Cancer. Diana underwent an oophorectomy, a surgical procedure that successfully removed one ovary and one fallopian tube. After the surgery, she had to undergo BEP chemotherapy, an extremely aggressive regimen. However, she achieved survivorship and has written a book about her experience.
Diana Ash led an active lifestyle in her hometown of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. She enjoyed hiking, running and diving; but ever since she was a small child, Diana dealt with irritable bowel syndrome. In 2019, in addition to IBS’ typical symptoms, she experienced fatigue and loss of appetite. When she sought medical attention, she was told her problem was IBS and nothing more. To Diana, that was not a satisfactory response.
She insisted on blood work and an ultrasound. The latter revealed a mass near her abdomen. It measured 10 X 16 cm, or as she said, “the size of a mini football.” Diana pressed doctors for more information and accurate information, and she was eventually diagnosed with Stage 1C ovarian cancer. She was shocked with the diagnosis, but relieved that her cancer had been caught at an early stage, which is not typical for those diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
Diana underwent an oophorectomy, a surgical procedure which removed one of her ovaries and one of her fallopian tubes. The surgery was a success, but her surgeon said the procedure was the easy part of her treatment. Next up was an extremely aggressive chemotherapy regimen. BEP chemotherapy includes cisplatin, bleomycin and etoposide. Diana experienced the usual side effects, but was even more difficult was her being told that she would no longer be able to run or dive.
There was also the matter of childbearing. She received a Lupron injection, which meant she had to deal with its side effects while dealing with the side effects from her chemo regimen. She was eventually able to freeze some of her eggs, which will enable her to have kids.
Diana Ash achieved survivorship and wants to help others diagnosed with cancer. Fueled by a message emphasizing optimism and self-advocacy, she wrote “Take Back The Power,” available on Amazon. The book was written in English, but as a bilingual Canadian, she hopes to one day translate the book into French.
Additional Resources:
Diana’s Book: “Take Back The Power,” a guide for young women with cancer
TRANSCRIPTION
Bruce Morton: This is the Cancer Interviews podcast, and I’m your host, Bruce Morton. Our guest on this episode survived ovarian cancer, but her diagnosis was preceded by uncertainty from doctors as to what went wrong with her. But as we said, she survived, and she went on to write a book on her experience. She is Diana Ash of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and it’s time to hear her story. Here she is, and Diana, welcome to Cancer Interviews.
Diana Ash: Thank you so much, Bruce, and it is an honor to be able to share my story.
BM: Diana, it is the norm on our interviews that we begin by learning a little about guest and their life away from cancer. So, if you would, tell us about where you are from, what you have done for work and what you do for fun.
DA: As you mentioned, I am from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. That’s where I grew up. I was born and raised there. I have lived most of my life there. I am huge traveler. I love to travel all over the globe. In terms of work, I have spent most of my life working in Human Resources, helping people in the workforce. I like helping people and that is why I decided to write the book
BM: All of us who have been on a cancer journey experienced that juncture when different.
BM: We’re confident you’ll be able to learn some tips and tools to help you through your cancer journey, but first we’d like to invite you to please give us a ‘like,’ leave a comment or review below and share this story with your friends. Kindly click on the Subscribe button below and click on the bell icon, so you’ll be notified the next time we post an interview. We also want to remind you that on Cancer Interviews, we do not provide medical advice. If you seek medical advice, please contact a licensed healthcare provider.
Diana, you mentioned the diagnosis, but there was that time between when you thought something unusual going on, and when you were diagnosed. How disconcerting was it to know that doctors, and by extension, yourself, didn’t know what was wrong?
DA: It was incredibly frustrating, to be quite honest, because it felt like I kept going to different places, different doctors to get answers and I couldn’t get any. Nobody seemed to know what was wrong, or they would brush it off as something not serious. I felt that they didn’t do their due diligence to actually look into the matter further or that my symptoms were not taken seriously. That was the biggest frustration on my part was that I just needed somebody to look into this and to really tell me based on facts what is happening with my body because I knew something was not right. I went to my general practitioner. I got a colonoscopy because they thought it was digestive issues. They put me on antibiotics without checking to see if there was an infection. It was all based on assumptions, so as I was trying to seek answers, I was taking treatments that were actually weakening my immune system for something that was not even the source of the problem. That was the biggest source of frustration, that nobody could give me these answers until I, myself, had to really push and demand those answers to the point I was told I was becoming a burden on the medical system because I was at the doctor’s office so frequently; but I told them I am going to keep coming back until I get the answers that I am seeking. I am not going to just go for two days and pretend like none of this happened, or that things are getting better because they are not. It was ultimately when I got an ultrasound, and there was a technician that and in the middle of the process, her demeanor changed. She went silent and asked if my doctor knew that I had a lump. That was a confirmation for me that all this just wasn’t in my head, that I wasn’t creating this concern out of fear. She saw something and that was confirmation that I needed to figure out what was wrong. Even at that point, cancer hadn’t crossed my mind, but I knew I needed to what was going on.
BM: Different types of cancer have different amounts of treatment option. Once diagnosed with ovarian cancer, did you have treatment options, or was there just one way to go?
DA: Ovarian cancer is one of the most difficult cancers in terms of being diagnosed. Many times it gets diagnosed when it is too late. That’s where it becomes harder to treat. I was lucky enough that I was diagnosed early on before it had spread, but it was the ultrasound that ultimately showed that there was a mass. By the time they removed it, it was 10 by 16 centimeters, the size of a mini football by the time they removed it from my abdomen. In an ultrasound, they can see that. In order to determine if it was cancerous or not, they did blood work. For ovarian cancer, they do at CA125. They did that for me, but t was normal. What they didn’t check until later, it was a different type of blood work, and that is where they noticed my markers had skyrocketed. They said they knew there was a tumor, that it was not benign and that its markers are extremely elevated, and that more tests needed to be run. That was the moment that I knew there was something serious. I was more in a state of shock at the time because it was not what I was expecting because I had family history with respect to breast cancer or ovarian cancer. It was not what I expected. I acknowledged there was a cyst, but they wer telling me it was non-benign, so what does that mean? I came into the cancer world and it was so unknown to me. I didn’t really know any body in my close circle that I had witnessed going through cancer. They mentioned chemotherapy and I thought it was this one-size-fits-all treatment, when in fact it is so far beyond that. There are so many types of chemotherapy just for ovarian cancer and different types of ovarian cancer. It blew my mind because there is just so much that I don’t know. In terms of the diagnosis and how it came about, I think I was really lucky because of the self-advocacy part that I did push for. Once it got flagged as something here, then the system picked me up and everything was happening incredibly rapidly. They sent me for so many tests because my markers were incredibly elevated and they were worried that it had spread theoughout my enture body. I had to go for a scan of my abdomen, I had to go for a scan of my brain. Within 24 hours, I was getting everything done. Once it on the radar, then things happen and that’s good because you want things to happen at a rapid rate. Again, cancer can spread really quickly and the type of cancer that I had, the mass was growing every single day. I was lucky in that sense that when they did catch it, then action followed.
BM: The procedure you underwent is called an oopherectomy. Viewers and listeners might want to know of what does that consist?
DA: That’s where they remove the fallopian tube and one ovary. I didn’t really have a choice. I was told that the type of surgery I was getting. I didn’t really know at the time what that involved, and at the time they couldn’t even tell me if it was going to be my right ovary or my left ovary. The only thing they told me was that they were only removing one. They didn’t know the stage of the cancer, they didn’t know how bad it was until they were actually going to go in there. So, going into surgery was incredibly nerve-racking for me. I had never been under an anesthetic. So, for me, that was a source of stress as well, just preparing for it, but I went for the surgery, I was knocked out. The surgery didn’t last that long. I think it was like four hours. They did what they said. They took out the one ovary, the one fallopian tube and the surgeon did the best that she could to deal with the residue of the tumor from the surrounding organs, but the mass was so large that it did break upon removal. That also led to me having to have chemotherapy after the fact to make sure everything is zapped.
BM: Did the surgeon determine that the operation was a success?
DA: Yes. My surgeon came to see me the very next day, once I was awake and able to have a conversation. She said she was very satisfied with the way the surgery went and that they were able to remove everything that was cancerous. For me, that was a huge win, and I thought, okay, we’re out of the woods. The hard part is done, but my surgeon came to me and said the surgery was the easy part. She said that was next will be extremely challenging and that the type of chemotherapy I would need is short in duration, but extremely aggressive. It was nonstop and it really broke down my body immediately. After the third day, I was knocked out. I couldn’t feel my legs. Everything was really heavy. I had brain fog, so the toughest part of all was the chemotherapy, but I didn’t know t what extent that it was going to be difficult. I didn’t know how I would feel. I just had this notion of what we see on TV, that it is very difficult, that it makes you naseous, that you lose your hair, but it is so much more than that.
BM: And what type of chemotherapy was it?
DA: It called BEP chemotherapy, which stands for the three chemo drugs that they give you, the bleomycin, the etoposide and the cisplatin. Those are the three types of chemo they give you for what I needed to have removed, the yolk sac tumor. That was the best way to treat it, with that regimen. One of them, the bleomycin, is really hard on the lungs. It can create permanent lung damage, and given my age, I was a runner, I was a diver. They told me I won’t be able to do these things anymore. This was a major hit because running was such a big part of my life. I decided to remove the bleomycin, but stayed with the etoposide and the cisplatin. But in 2020, I had a recurrence, and had to go back on the full-blown BEP chemotherapy to ensure everything that needed to be zapped would be zapped. They felt they needed to go that way because if the full dosage couldn’t defeat the cancer, then it would be deemed incurable.
BM: Because this is ovarian cancer, there is another subject we need to address. With many women diagnosed with ovarian cancer, the procedure ends their ability to bear children. Was this the case for you?
DA: Initially, yes. First I had my surgery, then I had my consultation. We were talking about my chemotherapy treatment. Then my doctor came back and said prior to chemo, I might want to consider freezing my eggs because the chemo could damage my remaining ovary to the point that you won’t be able to have children. The message was also that they needed to start chemo as quickly as possible and that they were not going to delay the chemo so that I could get fertility treatment. As a woman, we have greater challenges because it is not as simple as going to a clinic and freezing sperm. A woman has to be at a certain place n her cycle for them to be able to retrieve the eggs, and I knew that. I called right away went in for the consultation, the fertility doctor said I have had ovarian cancer and wouldn’t do a fertility procedure until after the chemotherapy, and that would be a year after the chemotherapy,, and that’s if the remaining ovary is still functioning. They did give the lupron injection, which puts your ovary in menopause to try to preserve it, to try to protect it while I was receiving chemotherapy. So, not only was I have the symptoms of chemotherapy, but the symptoms of a woman going through menopause, and my hormones were all over the map, too, so it was one thing after another. Eventually when I had my reoccurance, at that point in time, they said they might have to do a full hysterectomy, which meant they would remove everything. So, I went through this whole grieving process from the fertility aspect. I should be grateful that I was alive, but as a woman, I felt guilty over the fact that I may not be able to have children. On the flip side of that, people would say I was lucky to be alive and I knew that, but I also had to grieve my situation. It was tough. I was 33 at the time, and it was 2020 when I had my reoccurrence. It was this time in my life when everybody around was getting married and having kids. Not only was I fighting cancer, but I was grieving the loss of a child I could never have. Luckily for me what happened was after the chemo and after the lupron, within a year, my ovary started working again. I went back to the fertility clinic and they said they would try to do the procedure to extract my eggs. They said until they performed the procedure they wouldn’t know how many eggs they could get and they wouldn’t know the quality of the eggs. Luckily enough, I was able to freeze some eggs, so that gave me some peace of mind knowing tose eggs were preserved and my body, with time, eventually re-adapted, and my ovary, knock on wood, it’s working. I feel very grateful. Was it an emotional rollercoaster? Absolutely, and I know that is not the reality for a lot of women, but this was my journey, with the fertility aspect of it.
BM: Diana, we have all heard the term ‘cautionary tale,’ but could your experience be a cautionary tale in reverse? In other words, could it be a signal to women that it is not automatic that a woman diagnosed with ovarian will lose the ability to bear children?
DA: As long as you have ovaries and you have your uterus, you can carry a child, and I think that today with the technology we have that a woman can have a child. I was blown away at the fertility clinic in terms of what they can do, and your perception of having a child may not be the reality of how you get to that point if you have had cancer, but there are so many ways that you can have a child nowadays and I think that’s beautiful. We have come such a long way with that and once you are aware of that, it gives that reassurance, that hope, and I am very optimistic. Even during my cancer journey, I believe that as long as an individual is on this planet and is grieving, there is hope. Yes, I hope that my story with regards to the fertility aspect can be a source of hope for a woman going through ovarian cancer because it is not 100 percent that if you have ovarian cancer you cannot have children. I know women who have had ovarian cancer and have had children, and I think it is beautiful to see that.
BM: You have gone through quite a bit, Diana, but you have reached survivorship. How exciting is that?
DA: It’s very exciting. That’s the goal when you get a cancer diagnosis. You want to get to that finish line, as quickly as possible. As soon as you get to survivorship, you get thrown into this community of individuals, I mean, resilient human beings and you connect with them on such a deep level. You also lose a lot of people along the way. That is the grim side of cancer.
BM: We are going to close on this subject, Diana. You felt so strongly and there is so much you want to share, that you decided to write a book about your experience. You have told a bit about why you wrote the book, now if you would, tell us its name, and its primary message.
DA: The book is called “Take Back Your Power,” and the subtitle is “A Guide For Young Women With Cancer,” and I made it so specific because it was incredibly lonely journey for me even though I was surrounded by so many people. I wanted other young women who are facing these challenges with chemotherapy, with fertility, to make it specific to them and to provide a resource that is available and tangible. I have many cancer survivors and I have had men who have gained value from this book. Cancer can be a very dark chapter, but I wrote in a way that is positive and has some humor in it because that is my whole message is that even if your darkest days, if you seek the light, the light is there. It is available on Amazon and the e-book is on Kindle.
BM: Diana Ash, thank you very much for sharing your story, one that is compelling and inspiring to anyone diagnosed with cancer. Thank you for being with us on Cancer Interviews.
DA: Thank you very much, Bruce, and thanks to everyone for watching.
BM: And that will wrap up this episode of the Cancer Interviews podcast. As we always say when we conclude, if you or a loved one are on a cancer journey, you are not alone. There are people out there like Diana Ash, who can ease that journey. So, until next time, we’ll see you on down the road.
Additional Resources:
Diana’s Book: “Take Back The Power,” a guide for young women with cancer. Available on Amazon
SHOW NOTES
TITLE: Diana Ash – Ovarian Cancer Survivor – Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Diana Ash had suffered from irritable bowel syndrome much of her life, but in 2019, she believed the IBS symptoms she felt were something altogether different. Her concerns were proven correct when an ultrasound indicated a mass near her abdomen the size of a “mini football.” Not long after that, she was diagnosed with Stage 1C Ovarian Cancer. Diana underwent an oophorectomy, a surgical procedure that successfully removed one ovary and one fallopian tube. After the surgery, she had to undergo BEP chemotherapy, an extremely aggressive regimen. However, she achieved survivorship and has written a book about her experience.
Additional Resources:
Diana’s Book, available on Amazon:
“Take Back The Power,” a woman’s guide to young women with cancer
Time Stamps:
03:10 In addition to the usual irritable bowel syndrome symptoms, Diana experienced fatigue and loss of appetite.
05:05 It took a long time for doctors to figure out what was wrong, which she found frustrating.
07:00 An ultrasound revealed a tumor.
08:45 The mass was the size of a “mini football.”
10:40 Diana’s self-advocacy resulted in an early-stage diagnosis of ovarian cancer.
11:50 She describes her surgical procedure, an oophorectomy.
13:49 The procedure was a success, but the ensuing chemotherapy was much tougher.
15:32 Describes her chemotherapy regimen.
17:01 Is asked if the procedure prevented her from bearing children.
19:16 Received a Lupron injection, which brought on new challenges.
20:49 Diana returned to the fertility clinic and was able to get some of her eggs frozen.
23:30 Recalls achieving survivorship
KEYWORDS (tags):
ovarian cancer
oophorectomy
yolk sac tumor
cisplatin
bleomycin
etoposide
lupron injection
full hysterectomy
irritable bowel syndrome
bep chemotherapy
diana ash
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