Are you a member of the Women’s Institute? We need your help...

Hi, I am Kathy and a proud founder member of the Kitchen Dancers WI.

As members of the WI, we have the power to make real and lasting change.

When my lovely daughter-in-law Vicky was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2013 it was utterly devastating for us all. She was extremely clever, running a large advertising agency in London, funny, with lots of friends and a good social life. She was also the love of my son’s life. She worked with her doctors and had experimental treatment which gave her three years of good quality life. During her thank you speech to them at their annual conference she listed the many things she achieved during those years.

When her cancer returned Vicky was determined that she wanted to improve the chances for the next generation and used her many skills to create a campaign with Ovarian Cancer Action.

"I Will Survive" is a video featuring the next generation of young girls, who if we manage to raise awareness of the disease will not need to face the same fate as many women who are currently diagnosed too late. Vicky put her energy into helping the women of the future in the hope that fewer mothers, daughters, daughter-in-law’s, wives and friends are not lost to this horrid disease.

On the day Vicky died, "I Will Survive" was released, and I am determined to try and carry on with Vicky’s work.

At the heart of the WI we believe in making positive changes by championing the issues that matter to us most. Together we have a collective voice and we have been using the power of that voice to fight for crucial issues such as better support for vulnerable people caught up in the criminal justice system, Fairtrade and many more.

One woman dies every two hours of ovarian cancer in the UK. This cannot continue. Most women are unaware of the symptoms, the disease is often discovered in its late stages and therefore has a poor survival rate. If women are diagnosed at stage 1 then they have a ninety per cent survival rate and with your help we can help more women survive.

Please think about choosing our resolution. Our collective voice could save premature deaths today and for generations to come.

Kathy Heathcote.

Find out more about the important work that Ovarian Cancer Action do here.