Hi, my name is Alex. I’m 25 years old, a mum to my beautiful little girl Tilly, and I have stage 4 incurable mucinous ovarian cancer.

But to explain how I got here and why Tilly is so special to me, I need to take you back to the beginning.

When I was 19, I noticed a large, hard lump in my stomach, which turned out to be a huge ovarian cyst. I had keyhole surgery where they drained around two and a half litres of fluid from it, and part of my left ovary had to be removed because of the damage it had caused.

When another cyst developed shortly afterwards, I made the difficult decision at 21 to have the whole ovary removed.

It was tested and they confirmed that cancerous cells had started forming, but these had been removed so there was no cause for concern. I was told I would have regular blood tests and scans to keep a close eye on things.

Or so we thought.

I was concerned about the future possibility of having children and was referred for IVF to try to freeze some of my eggs, but blood tests showed that my AMH, which gives an indication of your egg count, was extremely low for my age and there weren’t even enough eggs for them to collect and freeze.

Naturally, I was devastated.

But then, at 23, I found out I was pregnant.

After everything I had been told, I honestly couldn’t believe it. I don’t think I ever fully believed I was actually going to have a baby until she was finally in my arms.

On 28 January 2026, at 24 years old, I became a mum to my beautiful little girl, Tilly.

My miracle baby was finally here.

I had pain throughout pregnancy, but couldn’t have my usual follow-up scans. I was due a scan one week after giving birth, but when I called because I was still recovering and needed to rearrange it, I was told I would have to go back through my GP.

Over the following months my pain became severe, affecting my sleep, everyday life and ability to look after my newborn. My GP eventually pushed for me to be seen again.

On 25 June, I was told I had cancer.

Further tests confirmed stage 4 mucinous ovarian cancer, a rare form of ovarian cancer which spread from a tumour that developed where my ovary used to be and then into my peritoneum lining, right ovary, liver, and back.

I was told it was incurable.

I just went numb.

I was 24 years old with a five-month-old baby. The little girl I had spent years worrying I might never be able to have was finally here, and now I was being told I might not get to watch her grow up.

I have since been told that even with treatment I may only have a few years to live.

But, I'm not putting an expiry date on myself.

I have started chemotherapy and I am exploring specialists, clinical trials and treatment options both in the UK and around the world. Some overseas options could cost over £100,000, which is why I’m doing something I find incredibly difficult and asking for help.

I hate asking people for money and it does make me feel like I’m begging, but I have to put my pride aside because I have something much more important to fight for.

I have Tilly.

Any money raised will help me explore every possible treatment option, including specialist opinions, private treatment, clinical trials and travelling & accommodation within the UK or abroad.

It will also allow me to live my life while I am well enough to live it. I want to make as many memories with Tilly as possible, including taking her on holidays and give her some financial security for the future.

I want to be here for her first words, to watch her take her first steps, to take her to school on her first day, and watch her grow into whoever she wants to be.

I should have decades with my daughter, and more than anything in this world, I want those decades.

If you can't donate even sharing my story could make a huge difference. I want to raise awareness for ovarian cancer because it can affect young women too. We need to know the symptoms, feel able to advocate for ourselves, and be heard.

If you can donate, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

This fund isn’t about waiting to die. Quite the opposite. It’s about helping me live.

I don’t know what the future holds, but what I do know is that I have my miracle little girl here with me now, and while I’m here I’m going to do absolutely everything I possibly can to stay here with her for as long as I can.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story, and for every donation, share and message of support. It means more to us than I could ever put into words.

Love,

Alex