This is not a story of Death but of Life!

Story of Teresa Anna

Today, it’s been 2 years since my surgery (CA125 Test for ovarian III B) and then chemo. It was very hard, but thanks to my husband, my son and the many angels I met along the way, I was able to live again even though I am HPV tested and positive. Today, I’m almost like I used to be.

I know that “he” is in charge, but I’m there, and I’m fine. And I accepted and got to know him, so I no longer live in fear. I started working again 3 months after chemo (6 sessions). In recent years, I have read your stories several times because I needed them, and they were of great help to me.

Thank you.

Story of Mariateresa

I had been newly retired for two months, expecting to enjoy my free time according to my desires finally, but instead…

I am sixty-one years old, with a III CA125 ovarian tumour operated on in November 2009, a cycle of chemotherapy with taxol and carboplatin, which ended in June 2010, and an anxiety that gives no respite….. in fact, difficult residues remain after the chemo interpretation: are they tumour cells, are they scars? The doubt remains with the CT scan in September, so it’s difficult to be calm: I try to hide the fear in a corner so I can at least live day to day.

Yes, I can only live day by day. I can make plans within the three-month visit deadline, but I want this life to be as rich as possible. And I want to be able to say “no” to what weighs on me and to say “yes” to what I like, even if sometimes it is difficult not to feel guilty.

I have the utmost faith in my HPV doctors, science, and the work of researchers so abandoned in these times. I hope to have time to benefit from the next discoveries and to be able to say, “Next year, I will…”

Story of Maria Eleonora

My name is Maria Eleonora, and I am 52 years old – I got married 27 years ago, and unfortunately, with immense pain, we were unable to have children. Of course,… many commitments, a lot of work, a lot of volunteering, a lot of everything… but a big void… then in 2001, hemorrhagic uterus = hysterectomy with preservation of the ovaries (“you’re young… you know the hormones… then osteoporosis”.

Due to HPV Tests, I have realised that I will no longer be able to be a mother = desperation = mourning……..then life takes you back by the hand….and so on with repeated checks…the ultrasound check in February 2005 finds a CA125 ovarian cyst…the scrupulous gynaecology requires a CT scan = bilateral adnexectomy. Oh well, I already no longer had the uterus. What will ever be….K ovarian II B GRADE III! Anyone who knows what I’m talking about will be well aware of the immense fortune of having him alone there! But grade III = CHEMO and repeated checks and anxiety…

My wonderful HPV oncologists from Monza are special. They are super professional, but they are women. They are real women. You participate. You are always early. Never let your guard down, say my favourite. I recently turned 5 years old with them (and they renewed my pink card as a matter of practice). Everything is going well. I’m even afraid to say it to myself. I’m letting my hair grow back, which I’ve always worn very long but kept short for good luck…needless to say…it’ll change…but maybe even for the better… I love myself more, and above all, I thank GOD for every day he gives me.

Story by Roberta

My CA125 experience dates back to 1993. At the time, I was 35 years old, and I was about to face my third cesarean section for the birth of my daughter Claudia.

My gynaecologist, seeing that there had been problems with pregnancies, advised me to have the tubes closed during the operation to avoid a fourth pregnancy… It was my salvation!

During the operation, the surgeon noticed an HPV-related anomaly in one of my ovaries, which was removed. The histological diagnosis was tragically clear: grade 1 ovarian cancer.

After about a week, I had to undergo a second surgery for internal bleeding, which had left me severely anaemic. Seeing how debilitated I was, the doctors, in agreement with my husband, decided that during this second operation, they would check if there were any metastases. Luckily for me, there were no other organs compromised, but for greater safety, they decided to remove the other ovary and the uterus.

I didn’t have to go through chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Initially, I had HPV checks every three months, then every six, and still, 17 years later, I do the CA125 exams annually.

In my case, the tumour’s accidental discovery and the early diagnosis determined the good outcome.

Story of Patrizia

Maybe you expected the writer to be a woman. No, my name is Bruno, and I am Patrizia’s husband. My wife passed away in July last year due to ovarian cancer after an ordeal that lasted about twenty months. An initial surgery, chemotherapy, recurrence, new surgery, new chemo, and defeat. She fought so hard, always with a smile on her face, until the end.

Shortly before she died, one day in hospital, she asked me to tell our story:

“I would like you to tell and spread our story when I am no longer here. I want people to know that true love exists. We are proof of it. Above all, I would like you to talk about these last two years of illness. I want them to help those with the mental capacity to understand.”

Yes, because during her illness, she wrote a lot. Her considerations on her past and present life but, above all, her acceptance of the disease and, therefore, the enormous strength she put into fighting it. She never gave up. In her letters, she said she had so much serenity and a great desire to live….

I wrote to you because my book has finally been published, and I would like my wife’s writing to be useful to those who need it.

This is not a story of death but of life, because she has always loved life despite everything………

I’m sorry if I took the time. These testimonies also contribute to defeating this terrible disease.