News

30 August 2023

Friends and family of the much-loved broadcaster Dianne Oxberry are calling on local people to take three minutes out of their day to help save lives.

Our charity was set up in the name of broadcaster Dianne following her death from ovarian cancer in January 2019, and we are now kicking off phase two of our successful Spread the Word campaign in an attempt to raise further awareness of the symptoms of the disease.

The initial Spread the Word campaign, which launched last year, has been highlighting some of the main signs to look out for, using its handy acronym ‘Word’, and this latest phase aims to reach even more people across the North West about the symptoms:

Weeing more often

Overly bloated feeling

Reduced appetite or feeling full more quickly

Dull ache in the pelvis or tummy

Ian Hindle, Dianne’s husband, said: “According to figures from Ovarian Cancer Action, only three in 10 women diagnosed with ovarian cancer live beyond 10 years.

“Early diagnosis is an incredibly important factor in improving those figures and hopefully achieving better outcomes, and that’s something we found out in the most devasting way possible. 

“It was just 10 short days between Dianne’s diagnosis in December 2018 and her death in January 2019 and all of her friends and family involved in the charity are focused on raising awareness and ensuring more families have more time together with those closest to them than we had with Dianne.

“That’s why we’re asking a simple question – if you could save your loved one’s life in just three minutes, would you?

“Most of us waste more than three minutes in a day, whether that’s scrolling on our phones, daydreaming at the bus stop, or flicking through TV channels trying to decide what to watch.  It’s not a difficult decision to use that time – literally 180 seconds – in a way that could save your life or the life of your mum, your sister, your friend, or another loved one.”

We're asking people to spend just three minutes learning the symptoms and sharing with three friends too.  The information is being shared on our social media channels, on signs in the Dianne Oxberry Rose Garden at MediaCity and in a range of other ways that will be shared throughout the year too.  Watch this space...

Ian added: “The power of three is extremely impactful.  Please don’t think ‘this won’t happen to me or my loved ones’ and forget. We didn’t think it would happen to our family, but early diagnosis is so, so important.

“We’ve had lots of people getting in touch since we launched Spread the Word who saw our messages and as a result have seen their doctor and have had a much better prognosis for ovarian cancer than they might have otherwise done.  It’s literally saving their lives and it’s such a short amount of time needed to take a look and familiarise yourself with the symptoms.

“We had originally planned to run our Spread the Word campaign for one year, but there’s no way we can stop now – it’s too important, and hearing from people who have been helped by our messages has really spurred us on to up the ante and make this latest appeal for support.”