Chorley trainee nurse with ovarian cancer calls on public to "get tested"
Trainee nursing associate Kelly Mckay-Ainsworth shared her own journey with the disease
Last updated 1st Oct 2025
The start of October marks the start of Breast Cancer Awareness Month - but the NHS in Lancashire is aiming to keep awareness of all types of cancer at a high.
An ovarian cancer awareness campaign van is currently on tour around Lancashire and South Cumbria this month, stopping off in Lytham St. Annes today.
Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust trainee nursing associate Kelly Mckay-Ainsworth knows the struggles of ovarian cancer all too well - having been diagnosed with the disease last year after initially thinking her symptoms were just perimenopause.
The trainee nursing associate said: "I first started noticing changes in my own health around springtime last year. I was getting a bit larger round my middle.
"But I put that down to my age. No other symptoms or anything. Then, come Christmastime, my appetite started to suppress, and I began looking more like I was three months pregnant."
Mckay-Ainsworth, 44, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and found out that the disease was in the advanced stages.
Mckay-Ainsworth said: "Prior to this there was no pain, there were no changes in my menstruation cycle, nothing."
Now the Chorley healthcare professional uses her voice to advocate for ovarian cancer awareness, and tries to get people to speak up for their own health.
Mckay-Ainsworth said: "The staff and the medical team are absolutely incredible, and what they do is nothing short of a miracle. They are earth angels.
"As women we have three yearly smear tests. But a lot of women don't go due to fear.
"But we also fall into the trap of thinking these smear tests test for ovarian cancer. They do not."
More than 7,000 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the UK each year, but survival rates remain low, as many cases are diagnosed at an advanced stage.
Mckay-Ainsworth said: "If I can advocate for women, empower them to have the confidence to speak up, and reach out to anybody else - they know their body better than anybody else.
"Please listen to your body, because I would not wish this journey on anybody."