Speed skating champion Thijsje Oenema diagnosed with ovarian cancer

Thijsje Oenema was diagnosed with ovarian cancer this week, the 27 year old speed skating champion announced in a press statement on Thursday, the Telegraaf reports. "This week I, completely unexpectedly, got the most terrible news I could ever get. News that makes sure my life will never be the same again. I was told that the cyst on my ovary is not a cyst, but a metastatic melanoma cancer", Oenema said. "This news is hard to understand. All goals, all dreams and all plans are suddenly swept away. The only thing now is to undergo the process. That process began Wednesday and is now continuing with scans, results, possible treatments. In this process I will need all the energy and support to try to keep my head up." This is not the first health crisis the young skater has to face. In the fall of 2013 she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of skin cancer, from which she fully recovered. Teammates and staff members on Oenema's team, Team Continu, also expressed their support for the skater in the press statement. "Her goals, dreams and plans may have been swept away, but the unconditional bond with her team members has not. We are shocked but are giving everything to support her in the process she is entering now", the team management said.