Saturday, September 09, 2006
The Teal Month
September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness month, and a good time to reflect on our progress in creating awareness. It is hard for me to assess objectively whether much progress has been made in raising OC awareness in the general population. I am too close to the scene, with daily contact with fellow OC survivors, the literature and my own struggles. My family is surely worn out with my constant reminders, although they have displayed boundless patience with me.
- From the comments I receive when I tell people the facts, there remains widespread ignorance of the necessary details to identify ovarian cancer early.
- Reminders of the "pink campaign" for breast cancer are everywhere. Most people still do not realize that teal is the color for ovarian cancer.
- For the 5th consecutive year, we have been unsuccessful in getting Johanna's law passed by Congress. It is in committee in both the house and the senate. The majority of bills, unfortunately, never make it out of committee. This is a summary of the bill:
"Gynecologic Cancer Education and Awareness Act of 2005 or Johanna's Law - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out a national $5 million campaign to increase the awareness and knowledge of women with respect to gynecologic cancers, which shall include: (1) maintaining a supply of written materials to provide information to the public on gynecologic cancers; and (2) developing and placing public service announcements to encourage women to discuss their risks of gynecologic cancers with their physicians. Requires the Secretary to award grants to nonprofit private entities to test different outreach and education strategies for increasing such awareness among women and health professionals."
There are 252 co-sponsors in the House, and 39 Senate sponsors. The more who sign on, the more likely the bill is to make it out of committee and to the floor for a vote.The urgency of this matter is expressed poignantly by Bonnie Donihi: "As I look back at my recurrences, eight surgeries, 17 hospitalizations and all the years lost to ovarian cancer, I am convinced that if I had been made aware of the symptoms, diagnosed properly and operated on by a gynecologic oncologist, the battles and fear I suffered with my family and loved ones could have been avoided."
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