Rainham mother says 'trust your instincts', after being diagnosed with rare cancer
There are fewer than 100 cases recorded worldwide.
Charlotte Flannery, who works as a surgical services matron at Medway Maritime Hospital, is urging people to trust their instincts and get checked if something feels wrong, after being diagnosed with a rare form of ovarian cancer.
The mum of six from Rainham trusted her instincts when experiencing unusual pain at work, leading to the discovery of an 8cm mass on her right ovary.
Initially thought to be a benign cyst, further revealed a rare cancer, with fewer than 100 cases recorded worldwide.
On the steps taken to find the cause of her pain Charlotte said: "Early intervention does save lives, and whilst I don't know long long term at the minute, I'm doing well and I certainly wouldn't be doing well if it hadn't been found. Or if I hadn't had the treatment.
"I feel very lucky to be honest.
"It's definitely important to get anything checked out that does not feel right for you um and that goes for anybody, male or female, um and any condition really. Don't ignore it."
Despite the cancer spreading to multiple sites, Charlotte has undergone surgery and continued her passion for running, finishing the London Marathon only 18 days after her operation in April 2025.
Speaking to the benefits of an active lifestyle for those facing health difficulties, she told us:
"I certainly wouldn't recommend going out and running the marathon if you haven't run a marathon before, but I think it's really important to stay active where you can.
"I think being in the best physical and mental space you can for any treatment, for anything really, is really important.
"For me, getting back to running, managing to do the marathon this year has boosted my confidence no end that my body may get back to normal at some point.
"I've been left with quite a few long-term conditions from chemo. But I just think it's really important to do what you can and there were days I couldn't walk, I couldn't get out of bed, I couldn't even stand up without almost collapsing on the floor.
"But when I could, I tried little walks. And then post-chemo built my fitness back up really slowly."
Charlotte also praised her colleagues, friends, and the Cancer Team at Medway for their support on her journey, particularly Karen Adams and Karen Flannery.