World Ovarian Cancer Awareness Day May 8th
Ovarian cancer can affect females of any age.
Two Australian girls are painting rocks for a massive “Rock Drop” on May 8th for World Ovarian cancer Day. This awareness initiative by Rare Ovarian Cancer Incorporated (ROC Inc) and its Facebook group called Rock for ROC where the over 3500 members paint rocks and places them out into the community to bring awareness to ovarian cancer, its symptoms and highlights that babies and children also get this insidious disease.
Neve from Bendigo, Victoria was diagnosed at 11 months old and Mikayla from Shellharbour, NSW was diagnosed at 16 years old. Both girls are a part of the world’s largest research to date for Juvenile Granulosa Cell Tumour (JGCT), a Rare Ovarian cancer (ROC).
Participants in the research are from all over the world and range in age from the World’s youngest diagnosed at just FOUR months old, to the oldest in the research diagnosed at 52-years-old. The Illawarra charity ROC Inc has coordinated the whole research project to get it started.
A leading researcher in Granulosa Cell Tumours, Dr Simon Chu, from the Hudson Institute of Medical Research Victoria, Australia, will conduct the research into this disease in order to find the mutated gene(s) that occur in JGCT. Learn More
Previously there has been no research into this disease which means there have been no answers in order to move forward for treatments or clinical trials. Granulosa Cell cancers are recurrent in nature. The recurrences are generally chemotherapy resistant and tend to be highly aggressive with a poor prognosis, hence the critical need to find ways to treat this disease.
Ovarian cancer is the most deadly of all the gynaecological cancers due mainly because of the lack of awareness for ovarian cancer symptoms and that there is no national screening test.
Over 70% are diagnosed at late stage of Ovarian cancer. We need to improve the survival rate from 42%, we can do this by increasing the community’s knowledge of Ovarian cancer awareness of the symptoms.
We are asking for your help; join the Facebook group Rock for ROC, paint some rocks and put them out to bring awareness for Ovarian cancer in your community, make a donation towards research and help us find a cure!
Thank you to our supporters who have donated and are participating in the awareness rock drops and the generosity of the many businesses and the community who have donated towards to the research including Bendigo Bank Oak Flats and Shellharbour who recently donated $5,000, Seafood Brothers Figtree who donated $2,000, Lakeview Hotel Rock for ROC fundraiser which raised over $15,000 toward our research goal.
Upcoming funding event Rock for ROC Trivia night Saturday 1st June 2019 at Warilla Bowls & Recreations Club.
For more information, to donate or view upcoming fundraising events see www.rocinc.org.au
Do you know the symptoms of Ovarian Cancer?
They are often very subtle or can be mistaken for other ailments such as
* Unexplained fatigue * Pelvic or abdominal pain * Trouble eating or feeling full quickly * Menstrual changes
* Feeling the need to urinate urgently or often * Bloating * Back pain * Unexpected changes in bowel habits
