Hugh Stewart
What’s the one wish you have for your child? Is it happiness, confidence or success? For any mother of the 1500 Australian women diagnosed with ovarian cancer every year, it’s finding a cure. marie claire, with Georg Jensen, spoke to the country’s best-known mums about their hopes for their girls…
SALLY OBERMEDER, 44, ANNABELLE, 5, AND ELYSSA, 8 MONTHS
“When I was diagnosed with breast cancer [in 2011] I was pregnant with Annabelle,” says the TV host and wellness entrepreneur. “My first thought was, better me than my child. Cancer is unbearable as an adult, let alone a child.”
“As a survivor, I know how cruel cancer is. It’s brutal for the person going through it and for those around them. Tough is an understatement.”
“My dream is that future generations will look at each other shocked and say, ‘Can you believe women used to die of cancer?’ I want that for my daughters. And part of that means we need to find an early detection test for ovarian cancer.”
KATE WATERHOUSE, 33 , SOPHIA, 3, AND GRACE, 1
“I hope my girls grow up to appreciate the small things in life. I want them to be grateful, kind and compassionate women,” says the journalist and style blogger. “I feel so blessed that my children are healthy. I don’t know what I would do if they were sick and I really feel for those mums whose daughters have been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. It’s something that families – mothers and daughters – shouldn’t have to go through.”
CLEMENTINE MCVEIGH, 34, 8-MONTHS PREGNANT WITH HER THIRD DAUGHTER
“When I lost my first daughter Luella in 2012 [to a heart condition when she was a month old], my life changed forever. It made me appreciate everything I have in life because it can be taken away in a split second,’’ the stunning model reveals. “My husband Jarrad and I cherish every moment we have with our second daughter Lolita-Luella, five, and we’ll do the same with our third daughter who is due next month.
“Losing a child is hell. I wouldn’t wish it upon anybody. For the many women diagnosed with ovarian cancer every year – and their mothers – I hope that more research goes into the disease so we can find a cure. Now, my greatest hope for my girls is good health.”
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