Sophie Fawns' 18th birthday is a memory etched with bittersweet clarity. The Manchester Thunder netball star recalls her mother, Maureen, urging her to go out, celebrate with friends, and forget about looming exams—a surprisingly carefree message from a usually pragmatic parent. "It was really nice, but weird," Sophie reflects. That moment of encouragement now carries profound weight. The very next day, Maureen was rushed to the hospital. She passed away shortly after, at age 52, from ovarian cancer—a diagnosis she had kept terminal from Sophie and her three sisters.

Now 22 and building a professional career far from her hometown of Wagga Wagga, Australia, Sophie channels her maturity and resilience onto the court. But off it, she's determined to rewrite the narrative surrounding her mother's passing. For Sophie, silence is not an option. She is using her platform in sport to break the taboo around ovarian cancer, a disease that claims about 4,000 lives annually in the UK, often due to late diagnosis when symptoms are vague or dismissed.

"People are so quick to shut down the conversation and think of it as quite taboo, and I'm not quite sure why," Sophie told BBC Sport. She wants to change that. By openly sharing Maureen's story—and their shared love for netball—Sophie aims to foster awareness, encourage early conversations about symptoms, and ultimately, help save lives. Her mission transforms personal grief into a powerful drive for change, proving that strength in sport extends far beyond the final whistle.