A cancer survivor has told how she fought an ovarian cyst the size of a grapefruit.

Lucy Ball suffered “excruciating” stomach pains before an ultrasound scan revealed her worst fears in 2016, that she had ovarian cancer.

Miss Ball, then 37, battled through six rounds of chemotherapy and suffered hair loss, sickness and exhaustion, but carried on working while fighting the disease.

The 39-year-old Folkestone Leas Cliff Hall worker, said: “I was in excruciating stomach pain for a couple of weeks, then I was sent for scans and they found a cyst the size of a grapefruit.

“It was tested and it was cancer.

“I was really shocked because I’m a positive person, we just thought it would be a relatively harmless cyst - my mind never went to a dark place.

“I don’t know where I get it from but I’m naturally positive - the nurses were surprised when I was still going to work and receiving chemotherapy.”

Following the diagnosis clinicians told Miss Ball and partner Andrew Munt, 37, chemotherapy could permanently damage her ovaries.

On contacting a fertility clinic for frozen egg treatment their hopes of having children were crushed when doctors learned Miss Ball’s oestrogen levels were too low.

“It came out of nowhere because we haven’t got a history of cancer in the family.

“Before all of this having children wasn’t hugely on my mind, but I wanted it to be my decision whether I would have them or not.

“Having that decision taken away from you is tough.

“But now I have my health back it seems like a fair trade, you have to accept things and move on,” she said.

In 2017 following six rounds of chemotherapy Kent and Canterbury Hospital doctors told Miss Ball, of South Road, Hythe, the cancer was in remission.

Now, she sees an oncologist twice a year to ensure the tumour hasn’t returned.

“It is nerve wracking returning to the medical centre because of all the memories, and I do worry a little when I’m due to get blood test results.

“But it is amazing that I have come through the other side of that - it has definitely brought me and partner closer together.”

Miss Ball continues to raise awareness over the disease, which is thought to kill 11 women in the UK a day.

She will take part in a fun-run on behalf of Target Ovarian Cancer charity at London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on 13 October.

Charity director Susan Booth, said: “We’ve been campaigning for awareness for ten years now, more recently with our ‘Take Ovar’ campaign.

"The Ovarian Cancer Walk/Run will be an incredible day for families and friends to get together to change the future for women with ovarian cancer.

“Awareness is alarmingly low across the UK and it’s time to take over and save lives.”

See targetovariancancer.org.uk for more info.

To donate see justgiving.com/fundraising/lucy-ball4