‘Suffering our own traumas spurred us on to help others’
Three go-getting female entrepreneurs tell how they’ve battled their own setbacks and are now determined to help those facing similar issues
rachel Mason, 32, from leigh-on-sea, was about to embark on IVF for the second time when doctors found a tumour on her ovary. While going through treatment, she launched Our remedy, a CBD oil for women
I met my husband David, 38, at a rave in Ibiza in 2009. It was a classic summer romance that turned into a great love story. We tied the knot in 2014 and started trying for a baby.
But we quickly discovered there were issues and tests revealed a large ovarian cyst.
After the operation to remove it I woke up to the devastating news that I’d never be able to have children naturally. “Your tubes are blocked,” the doctors told me. “Your best route is IVF.”
We were lucky to fall pregnant with my son George, now two and a half, on the first cycle. I gave birth in 2017 and in January 2019 we decided to try again.
As you have to be in tip-top condition to have IVF, and I’d
‘I was planning baby No2 when I found out I had ovarian cancer’
been having symptoms like bloating, I booked a scan.
That was on a Friday. On the Monday, I was summoned to the hospital and told they’d spotted something on my ovary. Tests showed raised cancer markers and an MRI revealed a tumour. But they thought it was non-invasive and I wouldn’t need chemo after the open surgery to remove it.
gruelling surgery
The operation was gruelling, but I was back on my feet after a couple of weeks and not too worried about my follow-up appointment in May.
But when I walked into the room, my heart sank. I knew the surgery had left me with half an ovary, but I was told my cancer was stage three and spreading. I’d need a hysterectomy. It was the last thing I wanted to hear.
Sadly, it was too risky to harvest my eggs for more IVF as it could potentially spread any remaining cancer cells. I felt awful. I had to come to terms with the fact I couldn’t give my husband our longed-for second baby and I hated the thought of my ovary being chucked in a bin.
That was when a friend alerted me to cryopreservation – the freezing of ovarian tissue. It’s possible that in the future they could implant the tissue in a surrogate as long as it’s free from cancer cells, or even mature eggs in a lab which would then be fertilised with my husband’s sperm.
It gave me some hope as
I came to terms with the aftereffects of the hysterectomy, which I had done at the same time as the tissue freezing in October. You wake up afterwards in menopause. But to be honest, the worst time was before the op. I was so scared I wouldn’t feel like a woman any more.
To take my mind off my fears, I threw myself into work. David and I run an online e-cigarette business and we started investigating CBD oils. I tried some for insomnia, but couldn’t find one that tasted nice or was aimed at women.
It occurred to me that there were so many aspects of being a woman that CBD oil might help with, like PMT or perimenopausal symptoms, so I launched one called Our Remedy.
I wanted to create a women’s health brand with someone running it who understands all the problems you can have as women. Even without ovaries, I have anxiety, disturbed sleep and hormone imbalance, all of which CBD might help with.
Nothing will ever take away the pain of not being able to have another child, but I’m getting my life back on track with David’s support. I’m overjoyed to have been able to create a product that could help other women.
Our Remedy, from £26.99, ourremedy.co.uk