"I was going out of work with my colleagues, everything was fine, but when I came back I started to feel severe pain in my stomach, I was bent in pain, my doctor initially thought of renal colic but after having did examinations, we realized that I had masses in the lower abdomen. "

It is May 24, 2016, Oli Sy is 35 years old and is about to learn that she has stage IV ovarian cancer. In the space of a few days, the life of this woman fulfilled by her profession of patrimonial client advisor and her role as mother of two young children, then takes an unexpected turn. "In the morning I put my children to school and in the evening they did not see me go back."

Ovarian cancer: a devious pathology, often diagnosed late

On the advice of her doctor, she immediately goes to a clinic. "There, I was asked several times if I already had children, if I was planning to have more ... Very quickly they suspected ovarian cancer."

It is then the moment of the difficult announcement to the relatives. "My parents-in-law warned my husband, he had to go get my children and I did not want to disturb him, my little sisters helped me a lot to tell my mom, she is very fragile and it is not order of things, it was hard for her. "

In the following days, Oli goes through three operations within a week. The advanced stage of its cancer forces doctors to remove the right ovary and several ganglia on the left. "While exploring, he also found out that I had a lot of necrosis, my right kidney was crushed and worked very badly, so I was put in a catheter between the kidney and the bladder. bladder and rectum, my liver and stomach were also affected. "

Inevitably, she suffers an ovarian blockage, the consequence of which is to make her know "too" early menopause .

At the end of her strength and very thin, she was transferred to the cancer control center Gustave Roussy in Villejuif (94). After a period of recovery during which she gets back on her feet, doctors give her a PET scan, "to assess the extent of the 'damage'". She started chemotherapy before returning to the operating table again in October 2016. "It was the grand cleaning operation! I was removed the left ovary, the uterus, the tubes ..."

Mom, even in the disease

Despite the repeated operations and hospitalizations, Oli tries to keep her mother's place as well as she can.

"We explained to children what was going on and they understood things well, they came to see me regularly or we did Facetime ( phone calls via webcam ) .I was lucky to be very supported by my family, my little sisters took over from my spouse, they put one week of vacation each one after another, and as I have five, it's going fast (laughs) They have managed the situation well " .

Relapse difficult to overcome

Thereafter, she continues with 24 maintenance chemotherapy sessions, one every three weeks. "I felt pretty good, except for some annoyances like headaches, bleeding nose, sensitive gums."

But in June 2017, another blow for the young woman: examinations reveal a ganglionic recurrence. "I was completely 'flat', I had no more platelets, no more blood cells, I had no more immunity and I had to be transfused.I have been hospitalized several times but not to disturb the children, I asked to be able to go out, I had to respect certain recommendations like not leaving the house or wearing a mask in the presence of the children. "

And as a misfortune never happens alone, doctors tell her that she carries a BRCA1 gene mutation , which increases the risk of developing breast cancer before age 40 ...

"I will probably have to undergo a bi-lateral preventive mastectomy running in 2018. But that I get the breasts removed annoys me 'less' because we rebuild them.What struck me the most, although I the chance to already have children and that I am filled, it is all the other attributes that have withdrawn me, and that one will not be able to replace: the ovaries, the uterus ... For me, it touches I was not given an egg sample and I was not asked the question, certainly because I was quite clear that I already had children and that I wanted to save my life, I could not have any more, it's hard to accept, but for me the essential thing is to stay alive to see them grow up. "

Precious guides through the disease

One of the great regrets of Oli: that we do not talk enough about ovarian cancer in France. "It's important to be informed, I have never heard of this cancer and it would be nice if it wins to be better known thanks to the strength of the media and social networks."

Fortunately, she finds a valuable ally in Charlotte Husson, who also has ovarian cancer . Creative blog and beauty box Mister K Fighting Kit, she was a real support for the young woman. "Without Charlotte, I think I would have had a hard time living with the disease because I would have been in the dark, we had often been in touch, she was getting a lot of news from me, asking how I was doing, it was very touching. She really 'accompanied me.' She is a motivating girl, who does not dramatize the disease, and who manages to convey messages with such force! "

"Beautiful against cancer", a blog to "feel useful"

Anxious to raise awareness of ovarian cancer and also to help other women affected by the disease, Oli also took the plunge by creating her blog, "Beautiful Against Cancer" *.

"In life, I put everything in notebooks and when I was hospitalized, my sisters gave me a lot of them, I told them about my days, my moods, the beauty products I was testing, recipes ... All . " Conscious that this support helps him in his care path, the medical profession encourages him to do the same in a blog. "It allows me to do a lot for others: I was able to distribute cosmetics and offer a Christmas pastry workshop for teenagers and young adults at the Gustave Roussy Institute, for example, I need to do things This blog allows me not to have a foot in the working life, but to feel useful. "

A long way to go towards remission

Today, Oli feels "good" and even remakes sport, "but more of the combat sports as before." She walks, "even when it's not right", takes yoga classes, does some swimming ... "Of course, when I do my chemo sessions, I'm tired, there is nausea and vomiting, but after I think it's worse, I can move, do what I want. "

She also relies on acupuncture and homeopathy , alternative medicine she discovered during her hospitalizations and who help her on a daily basis. "Without them I would not have had the same shape and would not have recovered as well after the operations and chemotherapy treatments.

She says she keeps her spirits up thanks to a very present and protective entourage: "I exchange messages with my sisters all day long.With their energy, I do not have time to be morose. I have some blues (laughs) but I hope to heal quickly and get out of treatment. "

At the beginning of March 2018, Oli had to see her oncologist again to know, according to the evolution of her cancer, whether she would have to be re-operated to remove any lymph nodes. If not, she will start radiation therapy. "Thereafter, I will have to take a treatment for several years to block the cancer cells.The recurrence is very frequent and very fast.The proof I made one! There is not enough perspective yet to speak of remission and this is a word that my oncologist does not even prefer to pronounce. "

Optimistic but lucid, Oli commands respect. In constant struggle against the disease for two years, it has not made him lose two essential things: his smile (photos in support!) And hope for a cure.

* https: //www.belles-contrelecancer.com/