Oxhill mum Elaine Morgan is cycling 50 miles for Ovarian Cancer Action in memory of her daughter Karen, who sadly died at 31 from the disease.
“I MISS her every day, but Karen is always with me in my heart.”
The heartbreaking words of Elaine Morgan, aged 72, from Oxhill, who lost her daughter – Karen Osborne – to ovarian cancer at the young age of 31.
Tomorrow (Friday) would have been Karen’s 50th birthday but sadly she passed away in 2005 from a disease which it’s estimated claims the lives of 4,100 women in the UK each year.
Elaine is marking her beloved daughter’s birthday by organising the Big 50 for Karen O Charity Cycle Ride - – which takes place this Saturday (9th March).
“She was my best friend,” Elaine told the Herald as she remembered her daughter with immense pride and love.
“She was full of fun and energy and we had a lovely relationship. For her 30th birthday I treated her to a holiday in Prague and we had quality time together. I’m lucky that I had that fun with her and the silliness we shared. She was always with me and always will be. I miss her every day.”
Karen and her partner, Simon, lived in High Wycombe and following her diagnosis with ovarian cancer at the age of 30 she was cared for at the Florence Nightingale Hospice, in the grounds of Stoke Mandeville Hospital.
“Karen was in and out of the hospital and hospice during her treatment. The nurses said she was a joy to be with and they played a huge part in making her comfortable and right to the end she remained very positive although she was very ill,” Elaine said.
Eventually, Karen chose to receive care in the comfort of her own home where she passed away. Throughout her journey her family, including brothers, Graham and David, and Elaine’s husband, who was Karen’s stepfather, Ed Morgan, and Simon were with her every step of the way.
Elaine wants to help other women and their families by raising awareness about ovarian cancer and for the ride this she and a determined group of 18 cyclists will set off from Oxhill and cycle 50 miles to raise money for the charity Ovarian Cancer Action.
The charity estimates thatin the UK a woman dies of ovarian cancer every two hours, and as March is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month the charity is calling on the community to support the cause with fundraising initiatives which will help it continue to develop ground-breaking new treatments, screening programmes and better care pathways.
Shockingly, only one in ten women know the main symptoms of ovarian cancer and, only three in ten women diagnosed with ovarian cancer live beyond ten years — which is why more research is vital.
“Sadly, I lost my darling daughter to ovarian cancer but the earlier it’s diagnosed, the easier it is to treat. Karen didn’t like going to the doctors, so I would urge young ladies to seek advice from their doctor early on. I’m doing the cycle ride in memory of her and to raise awareness as I don’t want this to happen to other people,” Elaine said.
The Big 50 for Karen O Charity Cycle Ride will see the cyclists set off from the Peacock pub at Oxhill, (weather permitting) and follow a route drawn-up by keen cyclist and fellow villager Paul Sayer which follows a reasonably flat course for the 50-mile cycle and even takes into account prevailing wind conditions.
Elaine said: “I asked Paul if he could design a fairly flat-ish route for me and explained my cycle ride idea to him and he said instantly, ‘I’ll do it with you’ and from there more people joined in.
“I originally set a target of £1,000 and it was achieved in less than within 24 hours and so I raised that to £2,000 and we’ve raised over £8,100 to date.
“I’ve had so many lovely messages of support and it has filled my heart with emotion and there have been anonymous donations as well. I would like to thank each and every one of those people for sponsoring me. I love our village and how supportive it has been.”
The cycle team have been training and successfully completed a 50K ride last Sunday wearing matching cycling tops which feature a picture of Karen. There will also be a special guest riding on the back of Elaine’s bike on the day – Thomas, who was Karen’s favourite teddy bear and who has been given the role of team mascot.
There’s also huge support from a crew of friends who will be looking after the cyclists on the route, providing hot soup, sausage rolls and jelly babies for energy. Elaine’s two sons Graham and David, plus their families are also going to be there cheering the cyclists on.
“If I can help save one person from ovarian cancer then I’ve achieved what I wanted to do,” Elaine said.
To contribute to The BIG 50 for Karen O fundraiser visit www.gofundme.com.
