Breast Cancer Month...be gone

[Oregondaughter]

Anyone totally over Breast Cancer month?   All month I walk in to Safeway, there are a million pink bags, pink signs, I get asked not once but twice to donate to the cure of Breast Cancer.  Now don't get me wrong, I am very sympathic towards breast cancer ... my grandmother died of breast cancer and I have a friend who is not even 40 with two grade school kids fighting this disease.  I get it.  But I also get that they have a test and a fighting chance against this disease.  Where is the Ovarian Cancer test?  Why do so many of you get diagnosed at stage 3 or 4?  Why is it the highest gynocological cancer death of woman?  Why doesn't any one care?  Is it because we lose so many that there aren't any to take up the fight?  Is it because we as daughters, friends, spouses, are so grieved that we can't pick up the fight?  I don't know.  All I know is that I have left Safeway in tears several times this month because their good intentioned questons remind me that my mom is dying and there is no cure and there is no test.

[jane65]

I saw a very recent picture of the White House recently, and it had a huge pink ribbon hanging from the pillars outside for breast cancer awareness month.

Considering his Mom passed away from OVCA, I would have hoped our President would have had a teal ribbon hanging for OVCA cancer awareness month.

[Cyndi1952]

I, too, often feel fed up with the pink deluge, not just in Breast Cancer Month, but all the time!  It seems like 90% of the literature I pick up is aimed at the "pink" crowd.  There was a tea held at my cancer treatment center recently and I was quite interested, because I love tea parties, but it was for breast cancer survivors only!  Unfair!  I know there are many more women with breast cancer than with ovarian cancer, and that's why there's so much attention paid to it. So, I guess each of us must try to count for 10 or more in what we do to spread the word about ovarian cancer, through awareness and education programs, and especially in fund-raising projects to seek better diagnosis and treatment - and a cure!  One good aspect of the pink ribbon campaign is that it brings attention to cancer in general, and to women with cancer.  I think it would be good to try to organize some programs combining a breast cancer and gynecologic cancer focus - "women with cancer" - maybe get a few pink AND teal (etc.) striped ribbons out there!  I love and support our sisters with breast cancer - including my own beloved mother-in-law - and I think most of them would like to see we "tealies" getting some attention, too!

[SwOC5]

Yes we need to turn the world TEAL more often.
At least in the states you have lots of information, support groups/web comunities.
Here its as if nothing else exists except pink and another  breast cancer survivor on tv or in the bookshops.
Relatively our number of cases each year for Ovarian to Breast is about 10% only  250 to 300 cases nationally. So there is no general awareness or support group  here and minimal information available and we don't even have a designated day never mind a month for ovarian or gyne cancers in general.
At times it feels so isolating.
Rant over now!

[Lisi251]

I think this is a terrific ideal,I am so willing to help!!!!

Lisa

[nyc lady]

Let's take some of that energy and put it to good use....why can't we start letter writing campaigns to different companies and ask that put Teal Ribbons on products for the month of Sept???  Many of the breast cancer organizations have been around for a long time and are years ahead of fighting the awareness battle.  

Let's also remember that breast and ovarian cancer are very closely related.  Maybe we need to contact organizations such as Susan G Komen, etc and see how we as OvCa patients, survivors and friends interested in making a difference and see how we can get them to work with us.

I often thought that starting with women's products, such as tampax etc would be great companies to help champion our cause.

There have been "stars" that have had OvCa, but, families, etc seem to do little about raising awareness.  Pres Obama's mother, Loretta Scott King, Gilda Radner, Barbara Walter's sister, Madeline Kahn....and there are many others.  About 2 years ago someone that worked for Regis Philbin died of OvCa, however, most of the articles, etc, called it stomach cancer.  

Ladies, it is up to us!!!!  We need to start YELLING and SCREAMING and we need to be heard in order to make a difference.

Pam

[ireneo]

I have several friends that have gone through the breast cancer route and survived. I'm thrilled that they've done so well. But to dedicate a whole month to it with all the pink stuff around from ribbons to yogurt lids to M&M's is overwhelming at times.

There are so many other diseases out there killing people and yet get very little news coverage. Earlier this month there was a Heart day but I never heard about it in the news. A friend mentioned it after the fact.

And ovarian cancer gets no media attention at all. And although I don't have a large circle of friends, I've had 2 friends fighting this disease (1 is gone, 1 is still fighting). That's pretty high odds to me that I would happen to know 2 women with it. I just don't know how to light a fire under the news people unless a famous TV/movie star happens to get it.

[Burnzie]

I totally agree with you two.  I have mulled this around in my mind more times than I'd like to admit.  I think there is much more publicity about breast cancer because it is simply more common and therefore involves more people and families.  I'm envious of their organization  at times but we can look at it like they are an example of what we can do too.  Ovarian cancer is becoming more common too and the awareness is increasing with it.  I think you are right in saying that because we are diagnosed so late, we are often not well enough to keep momentum going on awareness or pushing for a test. That is our stumbling block.  The answer lies in getting a reliable test to be done on a routine physical examination if we are going to improve the mortality rate. Its a long road, but it can be done!!!
Karen

[Kathleen78]

I know what you mean and I've had both breast cancer and ovarian cancer.  I never even knew the symptoms of ovarian cancer until just before I was diagnosed.  I know I will eventually die of ovarian cancer and I worry about my daughters and their future.  There is no way I want them to go through this.  There has got to be more research money put toward the early detection of this cancer. It is the only way we are going to beat this awful disease!

Kathy