Madara on ovarian cancer, a medical error and starting life over
39-year-old Madara Veidemane has shared her story of fighting ovarian cancer and the difficult road to recovery. The diagnosis changed her outlook on life and values.
Madara Veidemane, 39, finished a course of chemotherapy this February after being treated for ovarian cancer. She still feels the effects of the illness, but says she refuses to consider a bad outcome.
During her illness, Madara reassessed her life values and also got married during this period — by her own account, she wed without hair and 20 kilograms heavier. She stresses that what matters most is being healthy.
Childhood and youth
Madara grew up near Alūksne with her grandmother, enjoying a rural upbringing together with her sister. In fifth grade she moved to live with her mother near Cēsis, where the family lived above the café where her mother worked. Later, due to teachers' attitudes, she had to change schools and ended up finishing secondary school in Vecpiebalga. She then studied philology in Rēzekne, choosing the field because she describes herself as a born dreamer.
Onset of the illness
At the end of 2024, Madara divorced her husband, and within a few months health problems began — irregular, prolonged menstrual periods and feeling unwell during night shifts at work, including vomiting and dizziness. Her condition became severe enough that she had to turn down certain work shifts. Test results showed serious abnormalities, leading to a diagnosis of ovarian cancer and subsequent treatment.
