The color teal represents ovarian cancer. Ovarian cancer is often called the “silent killer” because of the sometimes subtle symptoms and lack of an early detection test. Over a ten year period almost 70% of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer will die from the disease.
Every year in the U.S. 22,000 new cases of ovarian cancer will be diagnosed and 14,000 women will die from the disease. It is the #1 cause of gynecologic cancer deaths and the #5 cause of cancer-related death in women. There is NO early detection test for ovarian cancer which is why awareness and knowledge of the symptoms associated with ovarian cancer are so important. A pap test will NOT detect ovarian cancer.
Daniel Island is one of hundreds of communities in the United States and Canada participating in “Turn The Towns Teal”, a national campaign to promote awareness of ovarian cancer and its often subtle symptoms.
The Charleston branch of the South Carolina Ovarian Cancer Foundation (SCOCF) is a partner in this awareness campaign and is placing ribbons, posters and symptom cards in various sites on Daniel Island. SCOCF’s mission is to educate women on the warning signs of ovarian cancer, support those diagnosed with the disease and promote ovarian cancer research.
Survival rates are significantly lower than other cancers that affect women as only about 15% of ovarian cancer patients are diagnosed with early stage disease. It is now known that ovarian cancer symptoms are generally present and can alert women to seek early treatment.
“Know your body, know the signs!”
Bloating, difficulty eating, pelvic/abdominal pain and urinary frequency are associated with ovarian cancer. If these symptoms occur for more than two weeks and these symptoms are unusual for you, see a gynecologist and ask about ovarian cancer.
REMEMBER: “Until there’s a test, awareness is best!”
Pick up your symptom card at your participating local store or your doctor’s office. For questions or more information contact Linda Carmain at lcarmain@icloud.com.
