Karen Morris was the picture of health and the literal “poster girl” for Ninewells Hospital. Yet there was just four months between the Dundee nurse first experiencing pain and her death from ovarian cancer.
Now her husband Neil is paying tribute to his “fantastic wife and best friend” in the hope others will act on the symptoms of what is often thought of as a silent cancer.
“Karen thought what she was experiencing was just part of the ageing process, but in reality she had issues with both ovaries,” said Neil.
“A light has gone out in our family because Karen was so full of love and life. If her story can help others it means losing her hasn’t been for nothing.”
Nursing career
Karen was born on Christmas day 1967. Her parents James and Diane would go on to have one more daughter, Lorraine, and the girls attended Whitfield High School, Dundee.
Initially she wanted a career in business, attending Dundee College of Commerce, however, after a year she quit in favour of nurse training at Dundee Royal Infirmary.
“Made to be a nurse”, caring for people was Karen’s passion, tallying up 36 years within the NHS.
One big family
Around 1987 Karen met Neil Morris. Part of a group involving her sister and multiple other friends they enjoyed spending time together but eventually went their separate ways.
In 2000 they reunited, by which point Karen was mum to Johnathan and Jess, and Neil was dad to Luke.
“Quite quickly we all moved in together. We accepted one another for who we all were and began building a life together as one family.
“Karen wasn’t bothered about marriage – in fact she had quite strong opinions about it, until I became ill in 2012.”
Following a brush with death due to bleeding ulcers, where Karen nursed Neil, she changed her mind and the pair tied the knot on March 31 2015.
Life interrupted
Karen continued nursing and would eventually become the senior charge nurse at Ninewells Hospital’s acute medical unit.
Her face is currently also used on the hospital’s poster advertising quiet wards.
“She was very good at her job,” said Neil. “She was such an organised person, meticulous about detail. We lived a bit of a Mediterranean lifestyle, eating well, walking… we had nice holidays and life was good.
“All that changed in January this year.”
‘It’s cancer’
On January 22, 2023 Karen noted down that she was feeling some abdominal pain. Her only other symptom was needing to urinate more frequently which she put down to “getting older”.
By February 4 she knew she had a mass and by the end of that month a CT scan was able to clarify a diagnosis of ovarian cancer.
Both her ovaries were affected with one tumour measuring 30cms and the other 15cms.
She was operated on in Aberdeen in March and the initial prognosis post surgery was good.
“We were all hopeful, the surgeon was pleased with the operation. To cut a long story short, it returned quite quickly as an aggressive sarcoma,” said Neil.
Proud gran
Plans were put in place for a more vigorous chemotherapy schedule.
“Karen never spoke about death, and apart from the odd wobble she barely showed the pain or angst she was facing.
“We knew it was worsening though because she began to lose more and more weight. We’re just really thankful she was here for the birth of her first grandchild, baby Ellie, who arrived on April 23.”
Surrounded by her family, Karen passed away on May 25.
“It was four months from her first mentioning pain, and three from getting a diagnosis, that we lost her. If sharing this story and the symptoms of ovarian cancer could help save someone else, that would be a fitting legacy for Karen,” Neil added.
What to look out for
According to Cancer Research UK there are early signs of ovarian cancer, that like Karen did, are often put down to menopausal weight gain or ageing. This means it’s perhaps not as silent a killer as once thought – but early detection is key.
Symptoms to look out for include those that Karen experienced such as pain or tenderness in your tummy or the area between the hips and an urgent need to urinate more often.
Others are a swollen tummy or feeling bloated, no appetite or feeling full quickly after eating, indigestion, constipation or diarrhoea, back pain, feeling tired all the time, losing weight without trying and vaginal bleeding after the menopause.
While these signs can be attributed to many other less serious conditions, experiencing these – especially 12 or more times a month – should be checked out by your GP in the first instance.
Final farewell
A celebration of Karen’s life took place at Woodlands Hotel, Broughty Ferry, on Tuesday June 13. She was then laid to rest in Pitkerro Grove Cemetery.
Karen is survived by Neil, Johnathan, Jessica, Luke and her granddaughter Ellie.
A spokesperson for NHS Tayside said: “Karen worked across a number of medical and surgical areas over her many years with NHS Tayside.
“She was a much valued and well-respected member of the team and will be sadly missed by many colleagues across the organisation.
“Our thoughts are with her family at this very sad time.”
‘Remember Karen’
“Nobody ever thinks this will happen to them, ” added Neil. “Karen was the last person we thought would ever succumb to something like this. All through the pandemic she avoided Covid… she’s the best person I know.
“Please, please, remember this… remember Karen. Get checked out. We can’t have her back, as much as we all desperately wish that could happen. But our loss could maybe save someone else.”
