Seaforth mum and daughter both get rare form of ovarian cancer in 20s

Mar 20 2010 by Liza Williams, Liverpool Echo

Seaforth Mum and daughter both get rare form of ovarian cancer in 20s

A MUM and daughter are campaigning for health research after a one in a million ordeal saw them both suffer from a rare cancer.

Doctors said there was more chance of winning the lottery than Danielle Villegas, 22, developing ovarian cancer 16 years after Lisa, 40, fought the disease.

Danielle, too, is now recovering and both women are anxious to raise awareness.

After being diagnosed last September Danielle, from Seaforth, had to have surgery to remove both her ovaries.

Lisa was heartbroken because she had been through the same thing aged 24.

She said: “When I had it I was told it was almost unheard of for someone my age to get ovarian cancer, so when Danielle started to have symptoms I hoped it was something else.

“We were told the chances of both of us getting in were one in a million– that there was more chance of winning the lottery.

“ I was heartbrokenbut the doctors were fantastic and acted so quickly.”

Danielle has returned to her job at a local taxi firm and been to Liverpool Women’s Hospital to discuss the possibility of IVF in the future to help her have a baby.

She said: “It was such a shock to lose my ovaries but they saved my womb which means I can still have children with IVF.

“I feel great now and have tried really hard to get my life back to normal.”