A grandmother who described ovarian cancer as a "time-bomb in her body" is trying to raise the profile of the disease.

Jean Boucher, 69, of Glen Road in Baildon, and her husband Des had just started a new life in Australia a mass on her ovary was discovered.

The day before her operation, in December 1999, she collapsed at home. The tumour had burst.

Doctors operated on the mother-of-four and removed a 16cm tumour. Then came an intensive six-month course of chemotherapy.

Because of Mrs Boucher's illness the couple were not permitted to stay in Australia, so they returned to Baildon.

After 18 months, Mrs Boucher began to suffer tell-tale symptoms of her disease - a urine infection and a pain in her side.

When she was finally diagnosed, the cancer had spread.

She is now undergoing tests to see if her treatment is taking effect.

Mrs Boucher said she hoped the profile of the disease would increase to that of breast cancer awareness. "It used to be called the silent killer. There didn't seem any symptoms to look for," she said. But since then doctors have identified certain signs that suggest something might not be quite right.

"I found that the main one for me was suddenly realising I hadn't eaten all day," said Mrs Boucher. Other symptoms can include pain in the lower abdomen or side; bloating or feeling full in the abdomen and back pain.

Mrs Boucher said women should be routinely tested for the disease, which is the fourth commonest women's cancer.

"Ovarian cancer is like a time-bomb in your body," she said.

Mrs Boucher has organised a sale and raffle to coincide with Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month at Wesley's Tearoom on Newton Way in Baildon on Saturday, March 25 between 10am and noon.