The color is teal, sometimes described as a greenish blue. The month is September. And the cause is National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. We want to get a jump start by flying teal ribbons, wearing teal-colored rubber bracelets and displaying those teal lapel pins.
I am an ovarian cancer survivor. And if there’s one thing I know, cancer wants you to be quiet about this disease. It won’t like the attention.
Lewes is decorating the main street with Turn the Towns Teal ribbons.
Rehoboth businesses are participating by putting up ribbons, displaying literature and fliers. The explosion of color you will see on the main street in Lewes and in the business windows in Rehoboth is very distressing to cancer.
The Delaware Ovarian Cancer Foundation sponsors the events. It is an active organization.
This is a disease that strikes at the very fabric of our society, women.
The more knowledge you have, the greater your chances of catching this disease early. It often is considered a silent threat in that it presents very few complaints to make a diagnosis. But some of those symptoms are obvious in that there may be abdominal distress, bloating, urinary symptoms and pelvic pain.
Newsweek magazine has a whole summer issue devoted to cancer. One of the writers, not identified in the article, sums it up best, “Cancer doesn’t care that you are a good mom, a hard worker or someone who files their taxes on time. Everyone, good, bad, young or old has the potential to end up sick.”
It’s not our intention to pit one disease against another. Every illness is worthy of attention, solutions and recognition. When a month is designated for a disease, we should lend our support.
We do not want to paint a bleak picture, because cancer is often manageable.
Just to review some facts may be helpful. Women have two ovaries, one located on each side of the uterus. They are about the size of an almond. The ovaries produce eggs, as well as the hormones estrogen and progesterone.
Early-stage ovarian cancer is likely to be treated more successfully. But it can spread to the pelvis and abdomen in later stages.
Cancer is defined as when cells in an area of the body grow abnormally. Ovarian cancer is categorized in three forms, epithelial, germ cell and stromal.
Treatment usually consists of surgery and some form of chemotherapy. Recurrence is often part of this disease.
Don’t be fooled by ovarian cancer. In my case, I had no history of cancer in my family. I did not have the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene. And I had no symptoms. It was found by accident when I went in for a test for a different reason.
There are plenty of support groups in the area. Make sure you have regular checkups and be aware of possible differences in any system in your body.
It is the seventh leading cause of cancer among women and it especially rears its ugly head for women over 60.
For more information, contact Sally Oberle, DOCF vice president and Turn the Towns Teal coordinator at 302-463-3800 or email her at sallyoberle@comcast.net. Get involved and think teal. Everyone will thank you.
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Nancy Katz has a degree in creative writing and is the author of the book, "Notes from the Beach." She has written the column Around Town for the Cape Gazette for twenty years. Her style is satirical and deals with all aspects of living in a resort area on Delmarva.
