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I get very frustrated when I hear all the events and national campains for Breast Cancer--not that they have them, but that you hear NOTHING about Ovarian Cancer. It is the silent killers for more than reasons than the silent symptoms.
How do we organize a National Campaign, races etc., similar to the Koman campains for Breast Cancer? Where are the national sponsors for Ovarian Cancer?
Cancer Surgery Eating disorders Breast cancer Ovarian cancer
There has been a lot of discussion regarding this issue over the past month. It is unfortunate. I bounce back and forth between hating the pink and being glad someone is helping ladies survive. My local paper had nothing for Ovarian cancer awareness and a 24 page supplement and daily stories for breast cancer. I think one of the reasons is that people can be proactive and do something to prevent breast cancer or catch it early. And we've got squat for screening or even diagnosing ovarian cancer. So no one wants to talk about it.
But I do have to say the pink one the football fields yesterday was a little over the top.
Right you are! In Sept. I walked into my own cancer center for treatment and was greeted at the door with a huge lobby sign saying "September is Colon Cancer Awareness Month." I was angry. Couldn't they even share the spotlight with ovca? I do plan to speak to someone there. And I'm sure when I go for treatment on Friday I will find the lobby festooned in pink.
The Ovarian Cancer Nat'l Alliance and another good group out of Boston - Ovations for the Cure (started by a now deceased survivor) - are the only 2 that consistently do things and have some clout. I guess ovca is not as "glamourous" as breast cancer, and unfortunately it has become "politically correct" to support breast cancer. My Sunday paper was filled with stories, coupons, everything. I'm thankful they have done as much as they have for breast cancer, but I think if women knew more about ovca - or it's link to breast cancer - it might get more attention. It's an uphill battle - while we sit here trying to survive.
I have to say that I was annoyed by the Breast Cancer Awareness picking up at the end of September... and wish that Ovarian Cancer had the same top-of-mind recognition. But it's something for all of us to work on for next year's awareness... starting now. I'm sure it took months of planning to get pink on the football fields... maybe we can ask the players to paint their toes teal next year during baseball season. I don't think it's an odd request. We have an angle and just need to use it.
I have friends with breast cancer and don't want to knock breast cancer but I think their exposure for fundraising is getting out of control to the detriment to other cancers, not just ours. When people donate to them, that is money that does not go to other cancers since people are not willing to give more than to one cancer cause often. Perhaps we need to become proactive and start a nationwide campaign for fundraising. I would start with college sororities...my girls were in a sorority and they all have causes they fundraise for. My daughters' sorority was Tri Sig and they fundraised for Eating Disorders and one other but we could certainly approach them and others about considering our cause. These kids are capable of raising alot of money. And at the same time we are educating them, as they are all potential candidates for ovarian cancer. If anyone has any ideas, let's brainstorm.
I could try and get my daughters to find out how to contact Tri Sig chapters and we could also turn it into an awareness movement, too. If each of us took a state or region and could talk to the sorority chapters in our area, think of the many women whose lives may be saved and money we could raise for research.
I just emailed the Tri Sig website, asking how to go about awareness campaigns with local chapters and ask them to consider fundraising. On the website is the email address of chapter presidents in each state. That is probably available with many other sororities.
That is super, we should all check out this sight and send an email approaching them to support an Ovarian Cancer Campaign...
Since September is Colon Cancer Month and so close to October's Breast Cancer Month couldn't the National OC association come up with a month all our own with a little distance from Breast Cancer Month? It is hard to get people to donate so close together....
I got to say as much as I support the fact to bring awareness to all kinds of cancer, I do get tears in my eyes when going to my Cancer Institute this month. You walk through the doors and there they are with tables pictures flyers everything. I just got to keep walking.
I wish there was more to bring awareness to our cancer.
I think sororities would be a wonderful group to educate young women and ask to consider us as their cause. Most sororities do at least 2 fundraisers annually. Some already have their causes but I think they usually have one that they do every year and some others that change. My son is in a professional fraternity and they do Relay for Life and one other. My son is the chair for Relay for Life. I would not approach him for ovarian since I think they would probably prefer to do something more encompassing or a male cause.
September IS ovarian cancer month. Nobody noticed but us.
Yes, I know but it is also colon cancer month and too close to October.
I have a contest on my blog right now where I am asking people to make suggestions. I only have 7 responses - and the drawing deadline ends at midnight tonight. I thought with the drawing I would get more of my readers to make suggestions. (I know I have readers! I've seen evidence on other posts.)
I think people are just stumped by this.
http://www.mloknitting.com/?p=1114
I had the same reaction a year ago and have been working in DE to help raise awareness. We have had a LOT of Ovarian Cancer news throughout the entire month of September this year. Here's a rundown:
Last September my family and I created a 501c3 charitable fund through the Delaware Community Foundation. Almost every state has a Community Foundation which does all the work of maintaining records, tax reporting etc. for philanthropic funds started by individuals, businesses, local communities, civic organizations etc. All you have to do is raise money and they handle the administrative stuff which makes it so easy to get a philanthropic effort under way.
Our fund is called The Starrlight Fund and it makes contributions to the special needs funds at area hospitals and cancer treatment centers. The money can only be used to help women with ovarian cancer who have financial crises and need help.
We have done the work ourselves to promote the fund with family, friends, business associates and the local community and it is paying off! We have just announced our first contributions of $1,000 each to 5 special needs funds. $5,000 is not a lot of money but a great start and the area hospitals receiving the money are so appreciative which in itself raises awareness.
On September 25 we held an event called "Music for a Cause" at my husband's and son's restaurant. Area musicians played for free throughout the night and we charged $45/ticket for a continuous buffet and two drink tickets. Fifty percent of the proceeds went to Starrlight Fund. We raised over $4,000 and people are still sending in checks to the fund.
i sent out press releases to every media organization in the state including radio, TV and newspapers. Everyone printed what we sent and two radio stations interviewed me. Delaware Today Magazine's editor wrote about The Starrlight Fund in his column.
Then it was like the ball started to roll and the media began running other stories about ovarian cancer. It was sensational because everywhere you looked you saw something about OvCa.
A local women's group that holds a Think Pink Affair every October decided to donate some of the money they raise to The Starrlight Fund so this year we're looking at receiving about $2,000 from their fundraiser this month. The money is coming from a raflle they're holding to give away a custom dollhouse. Each raffle ticket costs only $1 and you guessed it, so far they've sold nearly $2,000. I helped them sell tickets on Saturday in our downtown area which was pretty busy because of a sidewalk sale and local craft festival. We were not bashful--as people walked buy we called out to say " Can we interest you in a $1 raffle ticket, the proceeds of which go to help women in DE who have ovarian cancer". People would sometimes continue to walk by us until they heard the words ovarian cancer and we could literally watch them, pause, decide to buy a ticket and turn around and come back. We sold nearly $700 worth of tickets in about 5 hours.
In the beginning of September our legislature passed a bill that creates a tax refund check off on the DE Income Tax Form. This means anyone in Delaware can designate their tax refund--some or all of it--to go to the DE Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, another fund recently created through the Delaware Community Foundation. So, if I have a tax refund due me I can tell the State Division of Revenue how much to send to the research fund and they do it.
Some friends in Pennyslvania have asked me for help getting a similar tax checkoff set up for that state. I sent email today to ask the lobbyists and legislators from DE who spearheaded this in our state for info that I could pass along to Pennsylvania and within an hour two legislators had responded with the information.
The first week of September our governor passed a resolution making September Delaware Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month and the governor and his wife hosted a Super Luncheon sponsored by the National Ovarian Cancer Research Fund where invited guests learned more about ovarian cancer.
One of the reasons we have gained so much momentum in Delaware is because we're a small state and those touched by ovarian cancer have come to know one another and we decided to take action. You can do this too. It really is gratifying to see results like this. Please let me know if I can help in any way.
WOW! What an inspiration! Thanks for sharing all that you have been doing.
I am sorry....... so sorry that I did not get my OVARIAN CANCER AWARENESS stuff out there during September! I 've been vacationing, living and deciding how to do it right. I am surely dissapointed in myself ......BUT..........it will inspire me to do forever more....... what is necessary to get the word and AWARENESS out there forever more!....I am going to start a 401 non profit to give to OVARIAN CANCER RESEARCH FUND (and others) by designing and selling bags, shirts, cd cases and events to BENEFIT OVARIAN CANCER AWARENESS. I hope ya'll are behind me.
I went on a walk/run to raise money for Duke University OC awareness in September. Over $240,000 was raised. But I was very disappointed that there was no news coverage of the event. A LOT of people attended.
To NotDyingToday: You go, girl!
To Musicalmom: An fyi - People who plan events have to send out press releases to newspapers and TV stations in order to have them covered.
Ladies, the deal is that we have to toot our own horn. Complaining that we don't get attention accomplishes nothing.
There are so many more women affected by breast cancer and so many who are well enough to be vocal about awareness and their needs. So many women with ovarian cancer are only able to get by day to day.
There are 2 big events in my area: Ovarian Cycle and MotherWalk (held on Mother's Day weekend). These are sponsored by the Norma Livingston Ovarian Cancer Foundation, a foundation started by a wonderful woman whose mother died from ovarian cancer. They raise money for research.
I think the TV stations would run PSAs (Public Service Announcements) for free if we would just provide them the information. Or, most stations are looking for material for their local news programs, especially the daytime ones, and would be thrilled to interview an ovarian cancer survivor during September. One year our gyn oncologists manned phones during an evening local news show and answered questions of the folks who called in.
One of the goals of our local support group is to get the word out. So, we set up awareness tables during the month of Sept. Sometimes we are at a food court downtown and sometimes we go to the Southern Women's Show (SWS). We talk to so many women at the SWS. We give them literature to take home. We also provide literature for folks to take to small health fairs (e.g., at their churches). And, face it, we really want other women to know what to look for with signs and symptoms so they aren't caught by surprise like so many of us were.
That is my 2 cents worth for today.
I am thrilled you all are ALIVE and able to be posting. I'm very glad to be alive -- was diagnosed 4 years ago this month.
I know there's much discussion on this site about the Pink Ribbon campaign. Actually, it's been very successful in raising awareness and funds toward breast cancer. I'm planning a Teal Ribbon Golf Tournament in AZ to raise funds toward awareness and research. But today, I golfed in a Pink Ribbon Tourney and was able to bring awareness to the teal ribbon by announcing my teal tourney. I don't begrudge the Komen/Pink movement and by joining them for a day was able to sign up many golfers for another worthwhile tourney. It's amazing how many are unaware what teal stands for but are always very attentive when told about ovca. We can promote the Teal ribbon to be as well known as Pin,, and today's a great day to start!
Don't forget the sponsor of this support group, the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance, their website is a great source of information on how to join the fight to raise awareness. Visit them here: http://www.ovariancancer.org/
Beth, TeamInspire
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