Isabel takes on 100,000-step walk dressed as ovaries for Ovarian Cancer Action
Isabel Gerenstein is taking on a massive 100,000-step, or 45-mile, walk on Saturday, October 3 - dressed as a pair of ovaries - to raise money for Ovarian Cancer Action during Hereditary Cancer Awareness Week.
After a routine test, Isabel, a local charity worker and flower farmer from Overton in Hampshire, discovered she had inherited both BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 genetic mutations, meaning her lifetime risk of developing breast cancer is 72%, and 40% for ovarian cancer. This rare BRCA 1 & 2 combination affects roughly 1 in 100,000 people, so because of this, she has decided to walk from Hayling Island beachfront to Basingstoke Market Place in a day, to raise awareness.
“Finding out I carry both genetic mutations was life-changing. It means my timeline for having children with my partner, George, has been brought drastically forwards, as I will be having a double mastectomy and oophorectomy (ovary removal) to remove the risk. I am in regular screening for breast cancer, but there is currently no screening for ovarian cancer. I’m walking to help fund research needed to change this for future generations.”
You can support Isabel by donating online at the link below or using the QR code (scan this with your camera on your phone). Follow her journey at @isabelcgerenstein on Instagram.