AN ocean rower who was diagnosed with cancer after crossing the Atlantic with her sister and two other mums is now planning to row the Pacific, to help fund research into the disease.

Former Monmouth School for Girls pupil Felicity Ashley – daughter of late Monmouthshire Council deputy leader Bob Greenland – has recently published a best-selling book Stronger Than the Storm: One Woman’s Journey of Adventure, Adversity and Unbreakable Spirit.

And she even ran the Everest Base Camp Marathon this year to mark three years since her diagnosis, which she received just three months after her 40-day Atlantic epic, in a boat the mums dubbed “The Mothership”.

And having battled across 3,000 miles of ocean in 2021-2022 with sister Pippa Edwards and Oxford Blue rowers Jo Blackshaw and Lebby Eyres, and then survived cancer, the mum-of-three is now aiming to take on the ‘World’s Toughest Row’next year, 2,800 miles across the Pacific from California to Hawaii.

“We’re setting off in early June 2026 and it will mark four years since my cancer diagnosis,” says Felicity.

”I’m part of the crew Row for Life and we're rowing to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

“We've all been touched by cancer, three of us directly (bowel, breast and skin) so this really is a passion project – and a way to show that cancer doesn't have to limit your horizons.

“And we're currently looking for organisations to support us and help us raise the funds to get to the start line.”

The 49-year-old revealed how she suffered stomach cramps from half-way through her Atlantic row, which persisted when they finished, so she made an appointment to see a GP.

Tests brought the shock news that the former Wales junior rower had bowel cancer, requiring an operation and exhausting chemotherapy.

Now clear of the disease, the Oxford-based motivational speaker – who recently completed the Tenzing Hillary Everest Marathon run in the Himalayas – has also turned author, penning an inspiring account of “what is possible when you do not give into fear, self-doubt or the belief that you are not strong enough”.

Felicity shares her powerful and deeply personal story of overcoming life’s biggest challenges – from a hip replacement in her early 40s to rowing 3,000 across the Atlantic to facing cancer head-on and thriving.

Stronger Than the Storm immerses the reader in her life lessons, from the raw reality of navigating illness, grief, and uncertainty to the unexpected joy and simplicity of life at sea and the courage it takes to keep moving forward when nothing goes to plan.

Felicity said: “Stronger Than the Storm is a way for me to take my learnings from the trials and tribulations I’ve faced. It also provides hope for those reading it by showing there is always quiet strength to be found in community, humour and choosing to show up.

“And above all else, there are always moments of grace that shine through even the darkest storms because anything is possible.”

She and sister Pippa, wife of Haberdashers' Monmouth senior deputy head and fellow ocean rower David Edwards, teamed up with Oxford Blues Jo and Lebby – mothers together of 11 children – battling 40-foot waves, flying fish and extreme sleep deprivation to row from the Canaries to Antigua.

The crew had a particularly tough Christmas Day, Pippa being attacked by flying fish, which soared out of the ocean, while the ‘Mothership’ – a 28-foot long ocean craft called Mrs Nelson – span out of control when it was caught by a huge wave.

But they recovered to cross the ocean in 40 days, raising more than £56,000 to be split between three charities – Felix Fund, Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice and Women in Sport – from their epic voyage.

Felicity felt “invincible”, but none of them imagined the huge battle that she was about to face back on dry land, as just four months later she was diagnosed with a tumour.

She had started suffering stomach cramps and needing the toilet more often mid-way through the epic ocean crossing, but said: "Because of the circumstances I was in on the Atlantic, the idea of it being cancer never crossed my mind...

“I was stunned. I had just rowed an ocean, how could I be seriously ill? ... The news was a freight train through my life..” added Felicity, whose father Bob, the popular Devauden ward county councillor, was already ill with terminal cancer, passing away just three months later, and knew the challenge she faced.

“I was in complete shock to receive my diagnosis, but I have always been an optimist,” said Felicity.

“Each round (of treatment) drained me and left me nauseous before I gradually regained my strength for the next one. My rowing experience had honed my physical and mental resilience, and I leaned on it. Exercise became my anchor, walking and running, finding comfort and positivity in moving my body in nature...

“And my message, especially to young girls and my own children, is this: don’t let fear or other people’s expectations define you. You are stronger than you know, and you can weather any storm.”

During the Pacific row, the crew expect to row 12 hours a day in two-hour stints, totalling some 1.5 million strokes, battling waves of up to 30 feet, and shedding a stone in weight.

To see more about Felicity’s Pacific challenge and to support her crew’s Row for Life, see https://rowforlifepacific.org.uk