Health Promotion Practitioner Andie Murphy never imagined her own life would become a beacon for women’s health awareness.
“I was a very healthy person—there was no reason for me to be sick,” she reflects.
That all changed in March 2024. At the time, Andie was working full-time at Peninsula Health, studying, and running a small business coaching women in mental health and wellbeing. “I’ve always been independent, the kind of person who just gets on with life—the do-er! I never asked for help.”
She had been experiencing persistent abdominal and back pain, loss of appetite, bloating, and frequent urination—symptoms initially investigated as fibromyalgia and menopause-related changes. But before she could return for further testing, she suffered a sudden lung collapse.
In the Emergency Department, doctors discovered a pleural effusion—a buildup of fluid in her lungs. Given her childhood history of bronchitis and pneumonia, Andie wasn’t overly concerned. But once the fluid was drained and tested, the diagnosis was life-altering: Stage Four High-grade Serous Adenocarcinoma Ovarian Cancer.
“I was attending a follow-up appointment at the outpatient lung clinic at Peninsula Health, completely confused,” Andie recalls. “I said, ‘I’m here for my lungs—how are you getting ovarian cancer from this?’ The doctor replied, ‘It’s part of Stage Four Ovarian Cancer.’”
Scans revealed tumors in her ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus, lungs, and omentum. Treatment began immediately. She underwent six months of aggressive chemotherapy and major surgery. Despite the enduring severe side effects, her initial treatment showed promise. For a time, doctors believed the cancer was gone, and her lung tumors were declared dormant.
But in January this year, two new tumors appeared near where her ovaries had been. Her cancer had shown resistance to the new treatment. Further chemotherapy was deemed ineffective, and additional surgery was not recommended.
Then came a lifeline—a Phase 1B clinical trial combining immunotherapy with low-dose chemotherapy. Just before her third treatment, Andie received a glimmer of hope: her CA-125 cancer markers had dropped from 94 to 31, and both tumors were shrinking.
“If it weren’t for this clinical trial, I wouldn’t be here,” she says. Genetic testing confirmed no hereditary risk—her diagnosis was simply “drawing the short straw.” Andie had to wait for her cancer to return before becoming eligible for this particular trial.
Ovarian cancer is often dubbed the “silent killer.” Symptoms like bloating, loss of appetite, pelvic pain, fatigue, or changes in bowel habits are easily mistaken for less serious conditions and often overlooked. The disease takes a significant toll—not just physically, but emotionally and mentally, on both patients and their loved ones.
Andie was diagnosed at 56. Most women are diagnosed after age 50, with the average age being 64. Age remains the biggest risk factor.
“It breaks my heart that in 2025, ovarian cancer is still killing women at the same rate it did 50 years ago,” she says. “Around 1,800 women are diagnosed in Australia each year. There could be thousands more walking around unaware.”
She also stresses a common misconception: Pap smears do not detect ovarian cancer—they only screen for certain types of cervical cancer. There is still no dedicated screening test for ovarian cancer, which Andie believes is a big contributor to delayed diagnosis.
Andie urges ALL women to advocate for themselves. “Speak up. Ask questions. Don’t allow yourself to be dismissed. You are worthy of time, effort, and tests to get to the bottom of your symptoms.”
Despite the pain, fear, and uncertainty, Andie is filled with gratitude—for her son, her close friends, work colleagues, the support from medical professionals, and Ovarian Cancer Australia programs that have carried her through. She says she’s developed a deeper sense of self-compassion and finally feels truly worthy of care and healing.
Her goals now? Reach remission. Be a voice in this space. Write a book. Coach other women facing cancer.
“It’s not like a cold, we don’t just get ovarian cancer and then it’s over—there’s a huge journey that happens on every level,” Andie says.
“I’m definitely a positive and strong-willed person. I don’t care about the statistics—I’m going to beat them. I’m determined to live a full life with cancer, not die from it.”
May 8 is World Ovarian Cancer Day.
