“Honor yourself, care for yourself and don’t feel ashamed to be selfish with your time. This also includes freeing yourself from always feeling like you have to be a hero. There’s a time and a place for tying that cape around your neck, but you also have the right to wallow as needed; just make sure you don’t set up camp there.”
Ovarian Cancer Grad- Tamara
“What I thought was just a sudden weight lost, turned out to be something more serious. My stomach was bloated a lot at the time. Eventually, I went to the emergency room. The doctors thought I was pregnant because of how my stomach looked. They didn't see or hear a heart beat, which is when they discovered the fluid. That explained where all the bloating came from. They drained all the fluid out of my stomach. They filled up 6 1/2 tubes.”
Ovarian Cancer Grad- Amy
Ovarian and Breast Cancer Grad- Rachel
"I will continue to communicate my blurb to every single news organization which continues to report solely on breast cancer. "If breast cancer is the ying then ovarian cancer is the yang. To report solely on breast cancer in the age of Angelina Jolie and the discovery of the BRCA genes is not only irresponsible, it’s infuriating. Next time please don’t follow everyone else’s lead, set the example.”
Ovarian Cancer Grad- Sherry
I wish that more people understood how dangerous OVCA is. That is has a frighteningly high recurrence rate, and that there is NO FORMAL DIAGNOSTIC TEST. A Pap smear tests for cervical cancer, not ovarian. Because of this, you have to stay extra vigilant. If you feel off, ask your doctor for a transvaginal ultrasound. If you still feel off, ask them for a CA-125.
Ovarian Cancer Grad- Jenny
Double Major- Ovarian Cancer and Breast Cancer Grad- Amanda
"I wish people knew about the symptoms, the seriousness of the disease and overall just felt more comfortable talking about ovaries and gyn stuff in general. I've heard so many stories of women not truly knowing their family history because their relatives called it 'lady cancer' or something else. After my second diagnosis my genetic mutation was upgraded from a "variant of unknown significance" to BRCA2. I found that almost all the information was geared towards breast cancer. I also found that there was so many more resources for breast cancer patients, Ovarian cancer needs more!"