Belfast man Stephen McCormick says it is his life's mission to raise awareness of ovarian cancer since losing his soulmate, wife Julie
A Belfast widower is urging everyone to know the symptoms of ovarian cancer which ‘stole’ his beloved wife in June last year.
Stephen McCormick, said he now spends every night wondering whether it could’ve been different as he sits alone, no longer holding the hand of his soulmate, Julie.
He said: “Opposites attracting couldn’t have been truer than with us. I was the extrovert, she was the introvert. She liked to be well-organised, and I liked her organising me!
“We met in our twenties and shared 10 years of friendship before 35 years of marriage. Julie was a strong-willed woman of great poise, a dedicated mother and totally loyal to everyone she knew.
"Julie was an oncology nurse but became a full-time mum to be a role model, a teacher, confidant (and sometimes mediator!) to our two sons, Alan and Jack. She dedicated her life to these boys and would often be seen playing football and cricket on windswept beaches across Ireland. Our sons have excelled as a result of her both sage and profound influence on them.”
Stephen said that from 2020, Julie made repeated visits to the GP with symptoms of ovarian cancer, which over the following three years became persistent and gradually worse.
“She had continuous pelvic pain and then toward the end of this period started to gain weight around her waist yet had little appetite."
“In fairness to the GPs, both a CA125 blood test (for ovarian cancer) and an ultrasound were carried out. The CA125 result however indicated she was within a normal range (between 1 and 30 – she was at 25), and the ultrasound reports weren’t clear due to obstructions.
“In June 2023, Julie was referred by her GP to a consultant gynaecologist due to persistent gynae infections leading to a CT scan which immediately revealed suspected ovarian cancer which was confirmed by a biopsy.
“Julie was diagnosed with stage 3c ovarian cancer and despite her diagnosis, she remained poised, as was her nature. She was put forward for debulking surgery (an operation which removes the visible signs of cancer), however during the operation the surgeon saw that it had spread further than expected and, sadly, the operation was not progressed. Julie underwent chemotherapy almost immediately and no matter how ill she became, her medical knowledge remained razor sharp, even correcting one of her consultants about the list of medications that she was receiving!”
Sadly, Julie died in June 2024 from ovarian cancer.
“Ovarian cancer sneaked up on Julie and stole her away. And watching on as the love of my life lost her life to this disease was very painful for us all, particularly the indignity laterally suffered by a proud woman who, until then, had always been in control of her life, and mine.”
Ahead of World Ovarian Cancer Day on May 8, Stephen said he will spend the rest of his life campaigning to improve awareness, diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer.
"It's my mission and since losing Julie I have been working with the charity Target Ovarian Cancer to do this.
“We need to ensure the symptoms of ovarian cancer are known to every woman. Indeed, given my very personal experience as a widower, men should also be aware of them as if I had known them I could have better advocated for Julie,” said Stephen.
"Knowledge is power and could lead someone to approach their GP and ask directly about ovarian cancer.”
Symptoms of ovarian cancer can include:
Persistent bloating - not bloating that comes and goes
Feeling full quickly and/or loss of appetite
Pelvic or abdominal pain (that's your tummy and below)
Urinary symptoms (needing to wee more urgently or more often than usual)
Occasionally there can be other symptoms:
Changes in bowel habit (eg diarrhoea or constipation)
Extreme fatigue (feeling very tired)
Unexplained weight loss
Any bleeding after the menopause should always be investigated by a GP.
On Sunday, June 29 Stephen will be at Target Ovarian Cancer’s event Ovar-Dressed Belfast at Stormont Park.
"Sign up to the event and join me to learn about ovarian cancer, whilst raising money to help fund improvements in early diagnosis, support for women and their families and research.
“I believe if there was more support and funding into preventative and diagnostic measures Julie’s story could have been different.
"Funding towards education and training for GPs to help recognise the signs, interpret tests and know what do if symptoms persist is key, but also to consider ovarian cancer as a possibility as a priority needs to be paramount.”
Stephen added: “To say I miss Julie every day isn’t enough. It doesn’t cover the deep, dark loss I feel in my heart. The thing about grief is that there are new experiences to go through all the time, without the person by your side. It’s devastating, and incredibly lonely.”
Ovar-Dressed takes place this year on June 29, at Stormont Park and will see participants dress up and walk or run 5km to raise vital funds for Target Ovarian Cancer and increase awareness of the symptoms of ovarian cancer symptoms. Sign up to Ovar-Dressed on June 29 at Stormont Park by visiting the Target Ovarian Cancer website: https://targetovariancancer.org.uk/get-involved/events-challenges/ovar-dressed-belfast