Campaigning Hollie raising awareness and cash for gynaecological diseases.
A mum of three, who is battling stage 3 cancer, is continuing her fund raising efforts by organising a charity fun day in Milton Keynes.
Hollie Pardue, 32, has received countless chemotherapy, radiotherapy and brachytherapy treatments after receiving a heartbreaking cervical cancer diagnosis last year shortly after the birth of her third child.
After feeling unwell but initially being told by doctors that she should rest and take long walks – and following an all-clear smear test – she insisted on further investigations.
“I understand there’s only so much doctors can do, but when you feel something’s not right, it is because it’s not,” said Hollie, who also has 11-year-old and 8-year-old sons.
“I’m not the type to take pills to cover up an issue. So, when I was being dismissed with some tablets it just felt a little bit disappointing.
“A lot of gynaecological cancers are dismissed when you go to the GP as heavy periods or the menopause, but you have to realise that it could also be this type of cancer. I didn’t even realise how many gynaecological cancers there were.
“Smear testing isn’t even taught at school, I just think it’s so under researched and underfunded and realistically any woman can get gynaecological cancer.”
“There is a misbelief among younger people about cancer and I just think there needs to be this mindset where nobody’s untouchable from it. I do think that sometimes GPs think that ‘this person’s too young’ for it, we need to have a lot more of a ‘no denying’ view on it.”
Hollie, from Milton Keynes, says that only five per cent of research funding is allocated to gynaecological cancer. The rest, she says, relies on charities. That’s one of the reasons why she set herself up on social media to help other women understand the potential impact of cancer.
Now she is campaigning to raise awareness of cancer and of the Eve Appeal, a charity that is dedicated to gynaecological cancer and works exclusively in that area of the disease.
She has organised a ’12 hours of fun’ charity day in August at Middleton Pavilion in Milton Keynes and is urging people to support her as she raises money for the Eve Appeal.
“I knew I wanted to share my story. I wasn’t an influencer or blogger, but I knew when I got diagnosed and was sort of dismissed in a way, that I didn’t want anyone else to go through this. So, I started sharing my personal story and took people through the process of the treatments and that developed into raising more awareness of navigating cancer and talking about it.”
And she has received many messages of thanks from women who have been helped by Hollie’s advice and story. She has also raised thousands of pounds for charity and has a ‘personal mission’ to raise £10,000 for cancer and mental health charities in her lifetime.
“I’m hoping the charity day will really eat into the £10,000 total,” said Hollie. “We will have lots of fun things to do during the day and also volunteers answering questions, giving out leaflets and raising awareness of gynaecological cancers too.”
“Cancer has completely changed my path in life. I have started to raise awareness, I have tried to raise money for charity and have really tried to make a positive out of a situation. It has completely changed my mindset and my outlook. It has done some wonderful things – I’ll take that from it.”
For more details on the fund day visit: here.
