Robert is “77 years young” and no longer wields a tapestry needle to connect with Diane. It is words that connect him to her – to his memories of their shared life over five decades - and last week he visited Taree to share her story of diagnosis and fight to defeat the disease that erupted into their world without warning.

Members of the Taree on Manning Rotary Club last week gathered to listen to Robert share Diane’s story. He is an Ovarian Cancer Australia Community Ambassador and although Ashfield in Sydney is home, he cherishes childhood memories of the Mid North Coast, and in particular, Port Macquarie.

“My uncle, Reg Evans and his wife Ella, ran the big bakery at the end of Murray Street and as a boy of eight or nine, I used to travel on the train to Wauchope for three weeks in January,” Robert said.

“The bread truck would pick me up after it had done its deliveries and bring me to Port. I did that year, after year, after year. I probably made a nuisance of myself, but I like to say that I helped them in the bakery.”

The Mid North Coast connection sees Robert actively pursuing opportunities to educate men and women about the symptoms of ovarian cancer, to understand that there is no early detection test, and that it is the most deadly of all women’s cancers.

“Diane had no warning. It was a Sunday in January 2010 and after dinner she said, I’m not feeling good, I think I’ll have an early night.

“About 2am she woke me and said, I feel there is something really wrong. She had extreme pain in her abdomen and waves of nausea. The emergency doctor came to our home and gave her a shot of morphine and something for the nausea and decided to admit her to Concord Hospital via ambulance.”

Tests revealed ovarian cancer and one week later Dr Sue Valmadre performed surgery to remove Diane’s womb, cervix, ovaries, lymph glands and surrounding tissue. Treatment also included chemotherapy.

“It is scary. It is scary. I was devastated.”

Diane had cared for Robert during his diagnosis and treatment for prostate cancer in 2007 and following two heart surgeries - now it was time for him to step into the role of a carer.

“The role of a carer is physical but also psychological. You must talk and do things together, such as a hobby. Diane chose tapestry so I had to do tapestry as well!” Robert laughs. “I’ve got arthritic fingers and that was my excuse for my tapestry leaving a lot to be desired!”

Their conversations during treatment turned to Robert’s future and he says it was Diane who suggested that he contact Ovarian Cancer Australia. Family and friends rallied to support Robert following Diane’s death in October 2014, and today he works speaking arrangements in NSW around family events. He thinks he has spoken at more than 25 functions since September last year and is “booked fairly solidly up until November this year.”

“I want to make every lady I meet aware of the symptoms of ovarian cancer. It’s abdominal pain, nausea, wishing to urinate often or urgently, or both, having a bloated feeling, or feeling full after eating a small amount of food.

“If those symptoms are present, one of them or all of them, day after day for two weeks, go to see the GP and get a referral to an oncologist just to make sure the symptoms presenting are not ovarian cancer.

“Some of the symptoms are similar to many other problems a lady may have, such as menopause. A lot of symptoms for ovarian cancer are the same as menopause and that’s why ladies don’t follow through.

“Each year in Australia 1550 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer and 1200 will die from the disease.”

Robert believes telling Diane’s story will make a difference and hopes revealing the need for funding to service clubs and big business will be a catalyst for donations as “Australian government funding for ovarian cancer has halved in total from 2006 to 2016.”

”Money is needed. Greater awareness of this terrible disease is needed and I am thankful to be playing my part.”