Clark was eventually diagnosed with late stage ovarian cancer in January, and her family was told she would have to leave their P.E.I. home in Kensington for treatment in Halifax.
“It was a lot to take in,” says Bowness. “She never left the hospital after she was diagnosed.”
After a rapid decline, Clark died on March 8, just seven weeks after her diagnosis.
“We obtained the results approximately two weeks ago that mom tested negative for the nine most common gene (mutations) linked to ovarian cancer,” says Bowness.
The news brought a measure of relief to the family, but because a family history of the disease is also a risk factor, Bowness says she and her sisters will meet with their family doctors as well as the gynecological oncology team in Halifax to discuss and consider options for further preventative action for themselves, such as surgery to remove their ovaries and/or fallopian tubes.
“It’s scary for us because we are at a higher risk, but there is no reliable testing for the disease,” she says. “
“We really see the need for more research.”
In an effort to take positive action, Bowness and her younger sister, Jillian Forbes, have banded together to organize the Ovarian Cancer Canada Walk of Hope in Charlottetown on Sept. 9. While the event has taken place in communities across Canada since 2002, this is a first for Charlottetown.
Proceeds will be used to provide support, increase awareness and fund research into ovarian cancer.
Fast facts
– The walk begins 11 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 9, with participants gathering near the new Victoria Park cultural pavilion.
– People can register or donate in advance online at orvariancanada.org.
– Registration will also take place on site at 9:30 a.m.
– The walk will be the full length of the boardwalk and back.
– Event is children- and pet-friendly.
“As a family we’ve really become passionate about doing whatever we can to help,’’ says Bowness.
“We saw the suffering that mom went through and we don’t want anyone else to have to experience that. So whatever we can do to help, we want to do it.”
The sisters have reached out to other families in their region who have also been touched by ovarian cancer to get involved and help with fundraising efforts. Their own extended family will have a team walking in honour of their late mother.
“I think my father will be very emotional on walk day – which of course will make things even more emotional for us,” says Bowness.
“If mom was still here with us, she would have been helping us to organize this event. I know she would be 100 per cent supportive. She had a big heart.”
At a glance
Ovarian cancer is the most fatal women’s cancer in Canada. There is no reliable screening test to detect it, and symptoms (if any) can be mistaken for a range of other health issues.
Source: Ovarian Cancer Canada
