Each year, in Australia, approximately 1000 women will die from Ovarian Cancer. It’s important that you #KnowAskAct
Know – There is no screening test for Ovarian Cancer so it is important to know the symptoms and know your family history. The four most commonly symptoms associated with Ovarian Cancer are
- abdominal or pelvic pain
- increased abdominal size or persistent abdominal bloating
- the need to urinate often or urgently
- feeling full after eating a small amount
Ask – Ask family members if there is a family history, on both your mother and father’s sides, of ovarian or breast cancer. “Almost 20 per cent of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer carry one or both of the BRCA mutations. Women carrying the BRCA1 gene mutation have up to a 59 per cent increased risk of developing the disease and those carrying the BRCA2 mutation up to an 18 per cent increase. Find out more about the genetic risks of ovarian cancer here.”*
Act – If you find out there is a family history of ovarian cancer talk to your GP about assessing your risk. “It’s important to note that women who test positive for the BRCA gene mutation will not necessarily develop ovarian cancer, but will have an increased risk of developing the disease later in life.”*
Of the 1,480 women diagnosed with ovarian cancer in Australia every year only 43% will survive five years post-diagnosis. Ovarian Cancer Australia works to raise awareness, provide support, advocate on behalf of women living with the disease, facilitate high-impact research and empower women to #KnowAskAct.
This year marks Mum’s 5 years. As part of our annual fundraising efforts, Mum & I undertook the task of creating a wall of teal ribbons. The goal was to sell teal ribbons for a gold coin donation and people could attach them to our ‘wall’ which was situated at the Hillwood Coffee Shop (if you are in Tassie, and in the Tamar Valley, go check them out. The food is delicious!)
We started the week before our Afternoon Teal event and slowly the ribbons started adding up.
It wasn’t long and we had well over 200 ribbons, then 300, then 500. then 1000! Last count was 1055!!
A huge thank you to all who donated and are now hopefully more aware of Ovarian Cancer and have shared this awareness with others.
* From Ovarian Cancer Australia