September is OVARIAN CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

I am not sure where the month of August went and here we are starting September. If you have followed me for any period of time you are probably already aware that September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. Teal is the awareness color for ovarian cancer. 

Teal Awareness Ribbon for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month 

 Let me start with these important facts:

There is no screening test for ovarian cancer. 

Approximately 20,890 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the US in 2025. *

Approximately 12,730 women will die in the US in 2025 due to  ovarian cancer.* 

 

I have been an advocate for ovarian cancer research for 15+ years.  While we have made strides in treatments( VEGF inhibitors, Anti-body drug conjugates,  immunotherapies) there is no cure.  That is why raising funds for research is so important. 

This year due to NIH funding cuts raising awareness of ovarian cancer and more importantly funds for research take on a greater urgency. I will be posting symptom and risk information as well as other resources throughout the month in my small effort to raise awareness.  

I will be raising funds for research this year by walking on Sept 28, 2025 at the Kaleidoscope of Hope Ovarian Cancer Foundation walk at Loantaka Brook Park in Morristown. Join me, my family and friends as we walk as Team Determined. We are walking to honor the memory of a dear friend, Mary Lu, who passed away in July due to ovarian cancer. Donate to Team Determined at https://www.classy.org/team/766060. 

If you live in other areas of the country, check to see if there will be walks or other fundraising events being run by ovarian cancer organizations by you. Or donate to support research through OCRA or Foundation for Women's Cancer .

Thank you in advance. 

 Dee

Every Day is a Blessing!  

* https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/ovarian-cancer/key-statistics.html

 

 

OC Awareness Month and Memories

This September seems to be flying by. It is hard to believe that we are already at day 10 of Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.

In the past, I would post almost every day about symptoms, types of ovarian cancers, genetic mutations in ovarian cancer, treatments, awareness organizations, and fundraisers. This year since I missed 10 days already, I will shoot for 4 - one per week.

This year is different in so many ways due to the COVID -19 pandemic. Educational events are postponed, cancelled or offered online. Fundraising events involving large crowds are not taking place. Instead there are banquets and auctions on Zoom. Walks, runs and rides to raise funds for research are all virtual.  I won't be walking with family and friends on the boardwalk to support research through the Kaleidoscope of Hope Ovarian Cancer Foundation. Instead I will be walking by myself, mask on, around my town on Saturday, September 26th.

While we don't yet have a screening test for ovarian cancer, I am happy to see some progress being made in treatments for women with ovarian cancer using PARP inhibitors. I am excited to see teal ribbons in towns in every state in the nation. (Teal is the awareness color of ovarian cancer.) I love to see photos of buildings and bridges outlined in teal lights. Survivors and their families are doing their best to raise funds and awareness of the disease by painting their nails and toes teal, wearing teal ribbon pins and earrings and teal t-shirts and tying teal ribbons around trees and lightposts.

To be honest with you though as much as this month makes me smile with all the teal and fundraising but it also makes me sad. Over the past fifteen years, friendships with many women who were also ovarian cancer survivors came easy. We met at in-person support groups or on Facebook or Twitter or the old ACOR listserv. We volunteered to serve on Boards of local OC awareness organizations. We sat at the same table at fundraising events and would hang awareness ribbons. Many of my friend's lives were cut short due to ovarian cancer, taken too soon from their families and their communities. Janice Lopez is one of those teal women . 

Sparacio and Lopez Families

Our families would gather together in late August to hang teal ribbons in Edison, NJ. We were both diagnosed in 2005 with similar symptoms. We sported our short haircuts together as we hung ribbons back in 2008. But on September 6th, eleven years ago ovarian cancer took her from her family. To honor her they formed the Janice Lopez Ovarian Cancer Foundation. They continue to raise funds for research  and I continue to support their mission.

This year Elie, (in the stroller in the photo) Janice's granddaughter created a PSA for her family's Foundation. Please take a moment to watch. 

I urge you to support ovarian cancer research this month. You can make a difference and save women's lives.

Dee

Every Day is a Blessing!

A Month of Teal - Ovarian and Gyn Cancer Awareness Month

Hello September!

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness (#OCAM) month as well as Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month (#GCAM) . Today, September 1st is National Wear Teal* Day. I am sporting some teal toes. What are you wearing that is teal?  

Feel free to share the graphic below, which I created, with your friends on social media. 

Dee
Every Day is a Blessing!
*Teal is the  awareness color for ovarian cancer.

It Is More Than Pink and Teal

It is about research.

In October, I see posts online from women diagnosed with ovarian cancer and other gynecologic cancers complaining and peeved about being surrounded by pink ribbons - on TV , in stores, on shirts, etc. Even women who have breast cancer write about how they see pink ribbons on items that appear to just be a way to sell products. They note that the  percentage of money earned from these products actually going to an organization is small.There are other complaints about a large breast cancer non-profit and how so much of the money raised doesn't go to research. Women with metastatic breast cancer are asking to be "seen and heard".  They want a greater amount of funds used for metastatic breast cancer research. I can understand why each person complaining or asking for recognition of ovarian cancer feels the way they do.  And believe me I have my share of teal shirts , earrings, etc and a few pink things too.  In October 2011, I even wrote a post about the "pinking" of the NFL.

My friend Christina and co-moderator of the #gyncsm chat said this on twitter.

fall musings... gyn cancers struggling for basic awareness, breast cancer struggling to move from awareness to action. #gyncsm #bcsm

— Christina Lizaso (@btrfly12) October 10, 2015

 

So true. But what should that action be?

My life has been impacted by cancer in many ways in addition to my ovarian cancer diagnosis. My sister at the age of 42 was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a mastectomy and chemotherapy. She had a bone marrow transplant when her cancer metastasized. She passed away five years later. It has been twenty years since her passing.  And metastatic breast cancer continues to kill women - as does ovarian cancer in the ten years since my diagnosis.

Why is that? Cancer is a very complex disease. After attending medical conferences and listening to researchers I know that.  But how does spending money on items that are pink or teal for that matter make a difference?So the next time you make a donation to an organization or buy a product check out how much of the dollars raised actually goes to research.

Let's spend money on research. Because  the only way we will be able to understand cancer - breast, ovarian, kidney, lung, pancreatic   is through research.

What will you do to support cancer research?


Dee
Every Day is a Blessing!

So Many Hashtags

Christina,co-moderator of #gyncsm chat, and I were discussing all the hashtags used during gynecologic cancer awareness month. Christina had compiled a pretty extensive list which I added 7 hashtags too.

Here is our list so far:

#30daysofteal (OCNA)

#actonfacts (@bebrightpink)

#Breakthesilence

#endwomenscancer

#Findthetealineveryday(SROCF) 

#GCAM
#globeathon

#GynCan 

#gyncsm

#HBOCweek

#OvarianCancer  

#ovariancancerawareness 
#ovariancancerawarenessmonth

#shareitseptember (OCRF)

#takeactionnotchances (NOCC)

#teal

#tealisabigdeal 
#Tealmatterstoo

#tealmorethanjustacolor

#Tealsthedeal

#tealtakeover 

#TealTuesday 

#turnitteal 
#turnthetownteal (Turn the Towns Teal)
#turnmyselfieteal

#wearteal

#whyteal 

Did we leave any out? Please let us know. 

Wouldn't it be great if we could unite behind one or two hashtags for next year? 

Dee 

Every Day is a Blessing!

Wear Teal Day !

-->Today is Wear Teal Day.

When I was first diagnosed in 2005, I didn’t know that the color teal was the awareness color of  ovarian cancer. My wardrobe has changed a lot since then.

In addition to the nine t-shirts I got by walking in various ovarian cancer awareness fundraisers, I own

Three pair of  TEAL earrings

One  TEAL ribbon OWL locket necklace

One TEAL stone ring

Seven TEAL pins

Eight TEAL jelly bracelets

Seven TEAL awareness bracelets

Nine TEAL shirts

Three TEAL shawls

Two teal pocketbooks

And let’s not forget my Teal Toes. 

I’m proud wear Teal today and happy to share what I know about ovarian cancer with others. 

Dee

Every Day is a Blessing

Subway Series, Teal and NOCC

Help raise funds to assist NOCC in it's mission to raise awareness and support women with ovarian cancer by taking part in this exciting sporting event.

A portion (15%) of the regular price tickets sold for the 4:05 pm April 25th Yankees vs  Mets baseball game at Yankee Stadium will go to NOCC.
Please click on the image below for more information or see
--> http://nocc.kintera.org/YankeesMets.

Dee
Every Day is a Blessing!

Erika's Dream - A GRACEful Hope Walk

I have been busy for much of the month of September and have not been able to take part in many of the local Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month activities. So when Margaret invited me to the GRACEful Hope 1st Annual Walk I jumped at the chance to join her and the Rocha family.

I first met Margaret, Sergio and the rest of GRACEful Hope at their 2nd Annual Benefit in 2012. They invited me to share my story and it was a very emotional experience.( You can read about it here.)  Yesterday, the temperatures were perfect for a walk and it was wonderful to see the walk path lined with teal ribbons and balloons in Warinaco Park, Roselle, NJ.

We had pre-registered so we picked up our gift bags and t-shirts. The bags were filled with info about ovarian cancer and cancer research. After putting on the walk shirt I filled out the" In Suppport of" and "In Memory Signs"and Nick pinned them on my shirt. I walked in Memory of Grace, Erika, Shari, Stella and the ladies of my CINJ support group who died because of a gynecologic cancer. After the welcome speeches by Roselle Mayor Jamal Holley, Assemblywoman Quijano, and a Union County Freeholder Sergio Granados and a moving a capella rendition of the National Anthem, the walk that Erika had dreamed of began.

The path lead you around the park , past the lake, ball fields and playgrounds. I teared-up a few times   during the day, as I finished the walk feeling blessed to still be alive after being in treatment twice for the disease and when they asked for survivors to step forward.  It was wonderful to be able to catch up with other survivors Corinne, Dores, Tina, Jill, Jes and Terry.

GRACEful Hope expected 100-200 people at the event and there were over 500 participants. That is a testament to the wide reach of GRACEful Hope's efforts. Thank you GRACEful Hope for all you do to raise awareness and funds for research. You can find out more about future events by following them on Facebook.

Dee
Every Day is a Blessing!

On the back burner

Usually September is a very busy month for me. For the past 5 years every September I have committed countless hours participating in ovarian cancer awareness events- giving talks, hanging ribbons, raising money for research etc. ( September is National Ovarian Cancer Awareness month.) I feel strongly that all people, men and women from legislators to teenage girls, hear about ovarian cancer symptoms, the way the disease affects a women's life, the need for an early detection test and the important research that still needs to be done in order to understand the disease and find a cure.

So far, September 2011 has been different. I have been spending my days away from home helping my daughter and son-in-law with their new son. I am tired but thrilled to be able to help them and get to know my new grandson. My ovarian cancer diagnosis and my advocacy work has been the furthest thing from my mind these past few weeks. I wake up thinking about John not about cancer.

Mentally I feel different too. I have reached another milestone in life - becoming a grandparent. Meeting a grandchild was something I never thought in a million years I would have the opportunity to do 6 years ago. Heck,in July of 2005 I didn't think I would make it to my niece's wedding the following May. And here I am experiencing this wonderful part of life.

My advocacy work will continue. Right now it is just on the back burner.So watch out September 2012- there will be teal toes, teal walks, teal talks and teal ribbons. Just not anything on the 2nd because that is Theresa's special day and not the 6th because that will be John's birthday celebration!

If you are interested in ovarian cancer events in NJ that will occur during the rest of the month please click on the link to my Events page.

Dee

Every Day is a Blessing! John is the new blessing in my life.

What a Month!

What a month September 2010 has been.

TEAL was everywhere.

• There were articles about Ovarian Cancer symptoms in the local newspaper & in national magazines.
• There were interviews with survivors on national TV.
• There were Teal Ribbons all over the state.
• NOCC had a September Speaks program with a speaker talking about ovarian cancer each day of the month.
• OCNA started the Teal Journal.
• The House passed Johanna's Law . Now we are waiting on the Senate. Thanks Senator Lautenberg and Senator Menendez for co-sponsoring the bill in the Senate.

What a month September has been for me.

• I spoke to the walkers at the Teal Wings of Hope Walk in Hamilton , NJ.
• I helped hang Teal ribbons in Edison and at CINJ.
• I walked to raise funds for The Cancer Institute of NJ in honor of my wonderful gynecological-oncologists.
• This blog was mentioned in the Navigating Cancer Site Blog. ( More to come about this new, beneficial site.)
• I helped register walkers at the Kaleidoscope of Hope Avon-by-the-Sea Walkathon.
• I became the proud owner of a 100% all american mixed breed puppy. She is a cutie.

I can't wait to see what October brings- in addition to pink ribbons!

Dee

Every Day is a Blessing !