A Chichester woman who felt ‘isolated and alone’ after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer has helped launch the first dedicated ovarian cancer peer support group in the region outside London.

Around 7,400 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the UK each year, according to Target Ovarian Cancer. One of them is Georgie Pearson-Gee, 71, who was diagnosed with stage three ovarian cancer in March 2022.

Reflecting on her diagnosis, Georgie said: “You go into shock like a rabbit in head lights. Then you start going through the medical process, and you think you’re going to die and how long have I got. That’s the emotional reaction.

“Then you find out the best thing to do, best treatment, and where to go. Then you get into the groove, chemotherapy, an operation, radiotherapy. That took me just over a year.”

Georgie Pearson-Gee, 71, from Chichester has spearheaded the launch of the first ovarian cancer peer support group in the South region outside of London. Picture: University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust

placeholder image — Georgie Pearson-Gee, 71, from Chichester has spearheaded the launch of the first ovarian cancer peer support group in the South region outside of London. Picture: University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust

The mother-of-one underwent surgery in Portsmouth before receiving further treatment at St Richard’s Hospital in Chichester, which she describes as a “blessing”.

She continues to undergo three-monthly monitoring because of the nature of ovarian cancer and because her cancer had previously spread.

After almost three years of clear scans and results, a routine check revealed her cancer markers had risen. Georgie has since undergone another course of chemotherapy, which she is due to finish soon.

During the earlier stages of her cancer journey, Georgie struggled to find other people who understood what she was going through.

She said: “[A support group] is something I knew I would have liked to have had to talk to people, get encouragement and ask questions. No other people were going through it that I knew at that time and so I felt isolated and alone and needed someone to talk to. I just didn’t know where to go.

“I realised most support groups were in the North of England and the nearest was in London, so I felt very called to set this up.”

Determined to make a difference for other women, Georgie partnered with national charity Target Ovarian Cancer, which helps run lottery-funded peer support groups across the country.

She also worked with her clinical team at University Hospitals Sussex, who she said were “kind and supportive” of the project.

Macmillan Clinical Support Worker Paula Walters helped raise awareness of the group among patients.

Paula said: “It was such a privilege to work with Georgie and support her to help set up this amazing group, and to be there in person at the launch, seeing the ladies that attended with a cuppa and chatting away supporting each other.”

The group officially launched in September and meets monthly at CancerWise in Chichester, offering people living with ovarian cancer the chance to meet others with similar experiences.

Reflecting on the first meeting, Georgie said: “I was quite surprised how few people had been able to talk about their cancer to others before, including their family, and no one knew anyone else who had ovarian cancer.

“For them to find other people who have gone through the same thing was really positive. To be able to speak to someone with the exact same cancer as you, allows you understand each other.”

Future sessions will include arts and crafts, mindfulness and wellbeing workshops, with members helping shape the programme around their own interests and needs.

Anyone interested in joining can contact Pamela Walker, Target Ovarian Cancer Project Lead, at [email protected] or on 07903 311616.