Article written by John Lewis for The Star
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A Dunedin woman with ovarian cancer is calling on legislators and decision-makers to start taking the disease more seriously.
Jane Ludemann was diagnosed with low-grade serous carcinoma in 2017, and doctors gave her a life-expectancy of 5-15 years, based on available treatments.
While having ongoing treatment and surgeries, she has co-founded Ovarian Cancer Awareness NZ and founded Cure Our Ovarian Cancer, a charity that raises funds globally for research into her disease.
Now she has launched a nationwide petition to Parliament, asking for the development of ovarian cancer education campaigns for the public and health professionals, better access to testing for women with symptoms, improved access to approved therapies and clinical trials, and dedicated funding of research.
It was extraordinary that the Government spent more than $126 million on medical research through the Health Research Council every year, Ms Ludemann said.
“In 2018, 2019 and to date in 2020, the HRC has not funded any ovarian cancer research at all.”
To date, she has helped raise more than $300,000 to support research in New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States.
OCFNZ started as Cure Our Ovarian Cancer in 2018, with a focus on low-grade serous ovarian cancer. In 2020, we expanded our focus to include all ovarian cancer and, in 2024, we changed our name to the Ovarian Cancer Foundation New Zealand.
