In January 2021, Tess, 41, presented at her GP surgery with a large lump in her abdomen. Initially Tess thought that the lump was a fibroid, however, her GP sent her directly to the A&E department for her to be checked over and after a few investigative visits to a more specialist hospital, Tess was diagnosed with Low Grade Serous Carcinoma (LGSC) Stage 3, a rare subtype of Ovarian Cancer.

In March last year, Tess underwent a 12-hour operation to have a full hysterectomy and during the surgery, it was evident
that cancer had spread to Tess’s bowel.

Thankfully, recent tests have confirmed that the surgery and subsequent chemotherapy have been successful – but it’s still a
long road back to health for Tess, who says that she has Lola, her dog, to thank for saving her life.

Half a dozen tradespeople answered the call and volunteered their time for free to complete the project, which took place over a weekend in March. The main element of the project was to build a new decked area in the garden so that Tess could sit outside and enjoy the sunshine whilst she recovered from treatment.

All work was undertaken by volunteer tradespeople from across the country using materials donated by the construction sector.

For more information or for material or financial donations please contact projects@bandofbuilders.org