Fashion Fights Ovarian Cancer

Fundraiser for the Sandy Rollman Ovarian Cancer Foundation

Fashion Fights Ovarian Cancer is a dinner, silent/live auction and fashion show by top designer Pamela Dennis. Your donation of $75 includes dinner and cocktails. Register today at https://app.etapestry.com/hosted/SandyRollmanOvarianCancerF/OnlineRegistration.html

Saturday, September 26, 2009
Time:	7:00pm - 11:00pm
Location:	The Shops at Liberty Place
Street:	1625 Chestnut Street
City/Town:	Philadelphia, PA

For more info contact :

info@sandyovarian.org

Dee
Every Day is a Blessing! I am blessed by a visit from my son ( and Murph the dog.).

4th Cancerversary

Today it is four years since I was diagnosed with Stage III Ovarian Cancer. And I continue to LIVESTRONG.

A lot has happened since my last cancerversary.
Last August, I walked in my second Philly Livestrong challenge with my niece Alycia , her husband Kevin and my brother-in law Mike ;last September,I had the opportunity to visit my daughter and her husband in Lawton, OK and saw my first live buffalo ;in October, traveled to Asheville, NC with Nick and saw the beautful Biltmore Estate .

Then things changed. I came home to find that my CT showed growths on my liver and spleen. The cancer routine started again- research, office visits and discussions with my doctors at CINJ, surgery in November. I had some time to recover and had a wonderful Christmas with my children. Chemo started in January. I had 2 cycles of carbo /taxol then switched to taxol only due to the severe carbo reaction that I had. Bald and low neutrophils , I visited my son in Blacksburg, Va for Easter and came home to have my last chemo.

The day after I finished chemo we were on the road - literally. Nick and I drove to Manhattan, Kansas and spent a week with my daughter and son-in-law in their new home. Come the end of June, Nick and I took a wonderful trip to Alaska.I am still in awe of the magnificent scenery. We came home to Jersey for two days and hit the road again driving to DisneyWorld and met up with our kids for a fun time. On the way home we stopped by Denise and George's house in Georgia.

A friend recently wrote to me - " You are doing all this traveling - don't you have Cancer?"
Nope - Cancer does not have me.

LiveStrong

Dee
Every Day is a Blessing! I am blessed by Dr Gibbon and Rodriguez who have helped me celebrate this Cancerversary.

Friends in the News to Promote Ovarian Cancer Awareness.

On July 10th I wrote about the Somerset Patriots Ovarian Cancer Awareness night on August 1st. My NOCC friends, Carl and Ellen have been instrumental in getting this to happen.

Read their interview in the article in today's Home News and Tribune.

There is still time to order tickets. Check my July 10th entry or the article to get info on how to order tickets.I'm looking forward to a fun evening of baseball.

Livestrong
Dee

Every Day is a Blessing!

IMPACT newsletter

NJ Comprehensive Cancer control newsletter can be found here. I was pleased to read that NJ's Dept of Health and Senior Services Office of Cancer Control and Prevention plan received full funding ( $481,000) from the CDC for a number of projects.

The Ovarian Cancer Update 2009 presented to primary care physicians, nurses and other health care professionals was a success with 100% of those who completed the survey saying the program "enhanced their professional effectiveness".

Livestrong
Dee
Every Day is a Blessing!

Choose Your Cover Shore to Shore- NJ Skin Cancer Awareness Program

I know this is not related to Ovarian Cancer but it does take place in NJ. Kudos to NJ's Cancer Coalitions for their program to make beach goers aware of skin cancer.

The Office of Cancer Control and Prevention is pleased to announce:

Choose Your Cover - Shore to Shore
Free Skin Cancer Screenings on the beach
Saturday, July 25, 10AM to 2PM (rain date - Sunday, July 26)

Sponsored by the Ocean, Monmounth, Atlantic and Cape May County Cancer Coalitions and the Mike Geltrude Foundation.

Click here for more information.

Locations include Asbury Park, Bradley Beach, Brick Beach 3, Brigantine,Cape May, Highlands Family Beach,Long Branch ,Ortley Beach, Sea Bright Beach, Ship Bottom and Ventnor.

Livestrong

Dee
Every Day is a Blessing!

Atlanta- GCF Ovarian Cancer Survivors Course

Once again The Gynecological Cancer Foundation is offering a free Ovarian Cancer Survivors Course this time in Atlanta.

For more info and to register click here.

Livestrong
Dee
Every Day is a Blessing!

Ultrasound Study Results

OCRF provided this summary of

• The LA Times reported on a new study in Cancer, which finds that
  
• “symptoms are absent in 80% of patients with ovarian cancer,
  
• and that ultrasound alone was considerably better as a screening
• tool than symptoms alone. No combination of symptoms and ultrasound
  
• findings improved the detection of ovarian cancer compared with
  
• ultrasound alone.” However, the study’s authors do say that symptoms
  
• should not be ignored. It just remains to be seen “the degree to which
  
• symptoms are a resultant indicator of early stage ovarian malignancy.”

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2009/07/ovarian-cancer.html

Livestrong

Dee
Every Day is a Blessing. Today my day was blessed by a short walk I took with my Aunt.

QVC fundraiser for OCRF

Check this QVC website for Super Saturday Live which benefits the Ovarian Cacner Research Fund.

A Magical Vacation

I haven't posted too much recently since I was vacationing with my children. It was great getting all the children in the same state even if it was only for five days. What fun we had reminiscing and making new memories with my son-in-law.

I've many items to post, so check back through out the week and learn about fundraisers ( I am walking in the Livestrong Challenge in Philly in a month and there are 3 KOH walks in September -Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month) and other Ovarian Cancer research news .


Livestrong

Dee
Every Day is a Blessing! And I have been truly blessed with the world's best husband and wonderful children.

FDA Panel votes against Yondelis

From OCNA:

NEW YORK, July 15 (Reuters) - A Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) and Zeltia SA  (ZEL.MC)  drug for ovarian cancer should not be approved, as risks of heart and liver toxicity  outweigh  its limited ability to keep the disease in check, an advisory panel to the U.S. Food  and Drug Administration said on Wednesday. By a vote of 14-1, the panel of cancer experts recommended the agency reject the drug,  Yondelis. The FDA typically, but not always, abides by the recommendations  of its advisory panels.   Click here to read the full article from Reuters on the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance website

LiveStrong 

Dee 

Every Day is a Blessing!

NCI Bulletin- Risk of Ovarian Cancer from Hormone Therapy Confirmed

The NCI Bulletin discusses a Danish Study which confirms a risk of ovarian cancer for women who take hormone therapy. Read the entire article here. 

Ovarian Cancer Awareness Baseball Game

To:	Friends of Northern NJ National Ovarian Cancer Coalition (NOCC)
From:	Thomas Franklin
Please join us on Saturday, August 1, 2009 at TD Stadium, Bridgewater, NJ for an ovarian cancer awareness evening. Gates open at 6:05 pm. Game time is 7:05 pm. Somerset Patriots vs York Revolution. For discounted tickets and/or information, call Tom at 908-755-6276 or e-mail to drone@optonline.net. Goody bags will be distributed. I've purchased tickets and look forward to the game. Livestrong Dee Every Day is a Blessing!

Magnificent Alaska

I just spent 10 days in Alaska.What a wonderful experience! We traveled with a group of 20 friends of our friend and RU football tailgating buddy, Ron T.

The land portion of our trip started in Fairbanks. We boarded the McKinley Express a domed train and headed to Denali National Park. The train took us past forests of white and black and arctic spruce. When we arrived in Denali we took a 19 mile nature tour into the park. We had hoped to see Mt McKinley or more commonly called Denali but the clouds covered the peaks. We did get to see Caribou, two moose and hare on our trip.
The next day we got back on the train and headed to Anchorage. We stayed overnight here. Darkness is very short this time of year in Alaska. Sunset around midnight and sun rise around 4am.
The next morning, after a tour of Anchorage we headed past the Portage Glacier ( in the photo above) to Whittier where our ship the Carnival Spirit was docked. What amazing views from our stateroom's balcony. The first day at sea at 6am we were in front of the Harvard glacier. I stood on my balcony and could hear the pieces of ice from the glacier falling into the bay. What a gorgeous blue the glacier was.

On our southward journey down the inner passage we had some of the best weather one could have in Alaska in July- sunny in the 70's.We stopped in Sitka- where we visited the Russian Orthodox Church and the Raptor Center; Juneau- where we took a whale watching trip and saw more than 10 different humpback whales ; Skagway - where I took a horseback ride on the Chilkoot trail in the Tongass National forest and Ketchican where we visited the Totem Museum. The last day at sea the weather turned to cloudy and damp but that didn't stop the Orca whale from swimming alongside our ship. What a sight!
We disembarked in Vancouver and boarded an Air Canada flight home.

Today I kept thinking about this once in a lifetime trip. It is hard to explain the emotion I felt looking at the incredible scenery and wildlife of our 49th state. It was wonderful seeing God's creation - the mountains, glaciers and wildlife of Alaska.

Livestrong
Dee
Every Day is a Blessing!