A Scary Disease
This Sunday, I am participating in the Ovarian Cancer Walk of Hope. This is a fundraiser for a cause very close to my heart.
On Christmas Eve 2009, my mom was diagnosed with Stage IV ovarian cancer after starting to feel sick around Thanksgiving. The symptoms of this disease are very similiar to menopause or PMS, and go un-noticed, or misdiagnosed far too frequently. For a person diagnosed with Stage IV, the survival rate is only around 17%. So far, my mom is feeling well after her chemo treatments & a full hysterectomy, but the chance of the cancer coming back is still strong.
There is no early detection test for ovarian cancer. A pap test DOES NOT test the ovaries. I always thought it did. The idea of how quickly my mother became sick scares me silly, and I worry all the time about whether or not I will also get sick in this way. All I can hope is to help raise awareness to the fact that there is no early testing that can be done, and help in any small way I can. So, this Sunday, I walk in honour of my mom, and in memory of those who were not so lucky.
Please take a moment to visit my fundraising page at http://tinyurl.com/3j382fp , donate if you can, and ladies, get educated about this scary disease.
On Christmas Eve 2009, my mom was diagnosed with Stage IV ovarian cancer after starting to feel sick around Thanksgiving. The symptoms of this disease are very similiar to menopause or PMS, and go un-noticed, or misdiagnosed far too frequently. For a person diagnosed with Stage IV, the survival rate is only around 17%. So far, my mom is feeling well after her chemo treatments & a full hysterectomy, but the chance of the cancer coming back is still strong.
There is no early detection test for ovarian cancer. A pap test DOES NOT test the ovaries. I always thought it did. The idea of how quickly my mother became sick scares me silly, and I worry all the time about whether or not I will also get sick in this way. All I can hope is to help raise awareness to the fact that there is no early testing that can be done, and help in any small way I can. So, this Sunday, I walk in honour of my mom, and in memory of those who were not so lucky.
Please take a moment to visit my fundraising page at http://tinyurl.com/3j382fp , donate if you can, and ladies, get educated about this scary disease.
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