GP shares her cancer story in House of Commons

A woman from Guernsey has spoken in the House of Commons about her experiences of being diagnosed with ovarian cancer while working as a GP.

March is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, which was marked in the commons on Monday by various guest speakers including Jo Le Noury from Guernsey.

Le Noury shared her story of being diagnosed with the cancer in 2015 alongside doctors, patients, researchers, MPs and policymakers to raise the profile of the illness.

She said it was "exciting" to share her story with researchers so they can understand what it means to make a difference to people with the condition.

Organised by gynaecological cancers charity, the Eve Appeal, the subject of Ovarian Cancer is discussed each year in a conference at the House of Commons.

Le Noury said she was invited by the charity as it was important to hear first hand accounts of living with the condition.

"Well it was amazing, the energy and optimism you could really feel in the room, people were enthused, she said.

"I think that's why the Eve Appeal always chooses somebody to tell their own personal story, because it gives researchers an insight into what it really means to make a difference in that world."

"So it was lovely to speak to the researchers afterwards who were really interested in my story.

"It's always hard to talk about because it's one of the worst days of your life being diagnosed with cancer, but I suppose I have a different take on it because I was a GP working at the time."

Le Noury said she wanted to share her story to help healthcare professionals spot unusual signs and symptoms of cancers.

"I do find it sometimes makes me really anxious actually to keep thinking about this time that was so incredibly difficult for me but something positive has to come out of it," she said.

"If I can help somebody else get to the diagnosis a little bit earlier or help people manage that difficult time in their life, it's a time when you have very little control.

"So it's, it's really important to hang on to the things you can do and that's eat well, try and do some exercise, keep moving, keep your body fit for the treatment."

Follow BBC Guernsey on X and Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to channel.islands@bbc.co.uk.