"Ovarian cancer is one of those diseases where you can feel totally normal until you drop dead," the former nurse from Perth said.
"The only symptoms I had were constipation and a bit of urinary infrequency. When I was diagnosed, it was predicted that I would die within two years."
It's a similar story for many diagnosed with what is the deadliest form of cancer for women.
There is no early detection test and it is one of the most challenging and least understood cancers affecting Australian women.
Fewer than half of women diagnosed survive beyond five years and ovarian cancer recovery rates are lower than the average for all female cancers.
Alongside the devastating impacts on the lives of those diagnosed, a report by Deloitte Access Economics in partnership with pharmaceutical firm AbbVie has highlighted the significant economic and social burden of ovarian cancer.
The report has found advances in care and support for women living with ovarian cancer have the potential to improve quality of life and help women maintain their important roles in families, communities and the economy.
Ovarian cancer costs the Australian health system $270.9 million per year, it said, with the majority of the cost borne by public hospitals, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and private healthcare providers.
Many women reduce their participation in the workforce while managing treatment, contributing to an annual loss of $42.5 million in labour productivity.
Ms Groves had a long career as a nurse, a much-loved role she gave up due to the side effects of treatment.
Now in her 60s, she sold her home and moved further out of the city so she could afford not to work after being diagnosed in 2022.
"I'm very lucky I've got good friends ... I have friends who bring me food and put it in the freezer, they pack my dishwasher on the days I can't get out of bed," she said.
Ovarian cancer did not offer a single pathway of treatment and each patient needed to be catered to individually, Chris O'Brien Lifehouse medical oncologist Michelle Harrison said.
"The chemotherapy we typically give involves drugs that cause hair loss, aching muscles, immunosuppression, fatigue - all of these things are very self-limiting," she said.
"It is absolutely devastating to be diagnosed with cancer because patients go from a seemingly normal life to being very aware of their mortality very quickly."
The report calls for increased research investment into risk factors for ovarian cancer as well as the identification of early detection methods, improved equity in clinical trial recruitment and investment in supportive care programs.
For Ms Groves, good friends and support from her two adult sons have kept her going throughout the difficult period of treatment.
"I allow myself five to 10 minutes a day to be grumpy and cry about things ... there's no use getting overly upset about it. The time you spend being upset is wasted," she said.
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