Awareness Matters !!!

Awareness Matters … that's the name of the team that I have set up to walk in the Swedish SummeRun 5K for Ovarian Cancer this coming Sunday.  I will be joined by my husband, 4 cousins and 4 friends to walk on behalf of those that can't.  

The Orange shirt is for the walk ... the Teal shirt for us survivors!!!

This post is not about fundraising ... I've already raised just over $3,000 toward my $5,000 goal for 2011 -- I am 10-years cancer free and have set a $5,000 goal to raise this year in honor of my win and for those that did not win the fight -- this blog post is to continue raise awareness for this disease ... thanks for indulging me.

The Facts:

• 21,500  -- the number of women in the US diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer in 2009
• 14,600  -- the # of women who lost their battle that same year
• 73% -- the % of diagnosis that occurred in the later Stages III and IV (compared to 7% for breast cancer)
• 25% -- the 5-year survival rate for women diagnosed in Stages III or IV (similar statistics to breast cancer)
• 1 in 71 -- a women's lifetime chance of developing Ovarian Cancer
• 1 in 95 a women's lifetime chance of dying from Ovarian Cancer
• 0 -- the improvement in mortality rates for Ovarian Cancer in since the 'war on cancer' was declared 30 years ago
• 70% -- the improvement in the mortality rate that is believed to be achievable if an early detection test could be developed

The Quest:

• To develop an early detection test -- the following tests have had a measurable impact on early detection for breast, cervical and colon cancers
• Mammogram 
• Pap smear
• Colonoscopy
• SummeRun supports researchers around the world who are working on the development of this test
• It also funds the Ovarian Cancer Early Detection Program at Swedish' First Hill Campus
• This program has three primary goals:
• Present screening for women at high risk for developing ovarian cancer;
• Build a repository of well-characterized blood samples for use in research;
• Provide genetic counseling for women.
• Since opened, this clinic has diagnosed 4 cases of Ovarian Cancer … but this time 75% of them were found in Stages i and II … a significant improvement.

The Symptoms:

• Bloating
• Pelvic or abdominal pain
• Difficulty eating or feeling full quickly
• Urinary symptoms (urgency or frequency)

The Losses:

• While it seems that the numbers are relatively small … take note of the many admired women who have lost their battle with this disease:
• Ann Dunham -- Barack Obama's mother
• Marcheline Bertrand -- actress and mother of Angeline Jolie
• Dixie Lee Crosby -- Bing Crosby's 1st wife
• Sandy Dennis -- actress
• Cassandra Harris -- actress, Pierce Brosnan's 1st wife
• Madeline Kahn -- actress
• Coretta Scott King -- civil rights activist and Dr. King's wife
• Shari Lewis -- puppeteer
• Helen Simpson -- Dana Reeve's mother
• Gilda Radner -- actress
• Patsy Ramsey -- JonBenet's Ramsey's mother
• Dinah Shore -- actress
• Jessica Tandy -- actress
• Margo Fonteyn -- prima ballerina