February is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month – Lets Go TEAL for the cause. Here’s my personal bit to share..
Being BRCAII positive, Myself (being the oldest) and Veronica (The middle Sister), were of the age that the research of the time suggested we were at risk, so, we took the drastic steps of removing our healthy breasts with a double mastectomy and then to take it one step further, we also underwent a Radical Medical Hysterectomy! Yep, we did it all to prevent Breast and Ovarian Cancer as our age and genetic disposition threatened us daily. Our Baby Sister Elisha, accordingly to the history of our family and the research thus far, had ample time (so we thought) as she was so young, wanted more children and hence made the informed decision, at the time, to wait a bit before undergoing the radical preventative surgeries that her big sisters had done. Fast Forward a couple of years and Elisha went to the her GP complaining of 5 symptoms:
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Increased Abdominal size & persistent bloating,
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Lower Back Pain,
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Constipation,
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Frequent Urination,
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Haemorrhoids…
Going mis-diagnosed, Elisha, Her Son Jack (Then 11), her partner Brendan and her whole family (Including me, her big sister), had to deal with the next frightening, unknown, sad, scary, crazy mad, grief stricken and all other feelings you can imagine period, through hope, despair, hope again and finally her premature death in 2014. In this period we also lost our Dad (2013) to cancer and our Mum was in treatment for her own Breast Cancer which ultimately took her life also in 2015. I had cancer in 2016 and My Aunt Passed away last week of Breast cancer as well..Yep, that BRCA Gene is strong in our family But, of all the cancer history in our family, Ovarian Cancer was the most ravaging, the scariest, the smartest, and most aggressive of all… What we learned from Elisha’s Journey with Ovarian Cancer was:
1) Late Diagnosis significantly increases risk of death; and
2) don’t make the assumption that your GP knows everything..
Being Vigilant and trusting your own instinct and pushing through and demanding 2nd opinions and tests are your right, as is your right to manage your own health outcome in the first instance. In hindsight, now, if Elisha were still alive, she would have challenged the GP and demanded further testing giving her BRCA Positive Gene status and her family history and current symptoms … BUT… hindsight … hey… it’s a wonderful thing for the next generation to learn from.
February is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month and although it does not have the profile or funding that other “equally important” cancers have, Ovarian Cancer sure does have some scary statistics attached to it…
Let me share 5 statistics that made me gasp…. – There is a List of Ovarian Cancer Facts, symptoms, help and more on the OCA WEBSITE
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Did you know that Ovarian Cancer has the LOWEST survival rate of ANY Women’s Cancer.
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Each Year 1550 Australian Women are Diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer, of which, 1200 will die from the disease – That’s one women every 7 hours!
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There is no early detection test for Ovarian Cancer so the best way is to know and recognise the symptoms and ask your doctor for further testing. Even if it is nothing, it is better to be sure.
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Government Funding for Ovarian Cancer has HALVED in comparison to 10 years ago (THIS ASTOUNDS ME!)
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There has been no significant change for the treatment of Ovarian Cancer since the 1970’s.
This month I am hosting the following two events. If you know of ANY women going through treatment at the moment and could use some pampering or a few good day then please invite them to our Beauties Feeling Fabulous FREE PAMPER DAY on Friday 24th of February 2017 – 10am to 1pm at the Labrador Community Hub. Email me to book a place: [email protected]
If you are free Thursday 9th of February at around 5.30pm then join us for A “Cock-Teal” Soiree for a Cause at the Bangalow Bowlo…
A LITTLE BIT OF GOOD NEWS TO FINISH WITH:
As we celebrate this year’s launch of Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month we are also delighted to share with you the news today that a drug treatment for advanced ovarian cancer – olaparib – has been listed today on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
Ovarian Cancer Australia has advocated strongly for the listing of olaparib on the PBS as we believe this is one of the most significant developments in the treatment of ovarian cancer in Australia in 30 years. Olaparib delays disease recurrence while preserving a good quality of life for women who have a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation with advanced ovarian cancer.
It seems incredible but treatment options for women with ovarian cancer have not changed since the 1980s. Before 2016, a small number of Australian women had accessed olaparib through clinical trials and compassionate access schemes. Since January 2016, when olaparib was approved by Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration as a treatment for women with BRCA-mutated advanced ovarian cancer, those women who could afford it were able to access the drug for $13,500 for six months of treatment. The PBS listing means that women can now access the drug for a maximum of $38 a month.
Advocating for and supporting initiatives such as the listing of olaparib is just some of the work we do at Ovarian Cancer Australia.
During Awareness Month you will hear us campaign to highlight the symptoms and risk factors of ovarian cancer, honour those women who have died from the disease and to raise funds for our work to support those affected by ovarian cancer, give them a voice, fund research and raise awareness of the disease.
There is absolutely no better way for us to kick off Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month than with the news that the day-to-day lives of women with advanced ovarian cancer will be improved with olaparib now listed on the PBS. For more details on this announcement, please see attached media release. Or if you have any questions please call our office on 1300 660 334.
Thank you for your support throughout this important month.
Til then,
Stay Vigilant Sisters and share your knowledge…
Miss Chrissy xx
