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September 4, 2009
Winners Walk of Hope
Ovarian Cancer Canada offers education.
BLAIR KAPLAN
This year's Winners Walk of Hope takes place Sept. 13 in Vancouver and in 13 other cities across Canada, including Victoria and Comox. With the purpose of raising funds for Ovarian Cancer Canada (OCC), the Jewish community especially has reasons to become involved.
Canada's most fatal gynecological cancer is ovarian cancer and it affects one in 70 Canadian women. The symptoms can be subtle, which is why the disease is also known as the disease that whispers. Common symptoms include bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, trouble eating or feeling full faster than usual and imperative or constant urination. It is known that women of Ashkenazi Jewish decent or having two or more relatives with colon, breast or ovarian cancer have a greater risk of ovarian cancer.
Debbe Gervin and Margie Ostroff are two inspirational women from the Jewish community who were diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and they have changed the course of the future for women battling the disease.
Gervin received her diagnosis in March 1996. At that time, there was no foundation specifically dedicated to ovarian cancer, so Gervin educated herself about the subject and became an expert on the disease. She wanted to raise awareness and spread education across Canada, which was the stepping stone to her co-founding the Ovarian Cancer Alliance of Canada (OCAC).
Before succumbing to the disease in 1999, Gervin, in 1998, along with Cheryl Brown, was determined to "wake up Canada." They began working in a small office situated in the B.C. Cancer Agency in Vancouver and, using the Internet and telephone to spread the word, their organization quickly grew into a nationwide membership-based organization of families and women faced with ovarian cancer. In 2002, OCAC was renamed Ovarian Cancer Canada (OCC) and, in 2007, they merged with the national Ovarian Cancer Association to be unified and more effective.
The not-for-profit OCC is the only registered charitable organization in Canada committed to defeating ovarian cancer. According to its media material, "Ovarian Cancer Canada is dedicated to overcoming ovarian cancer, providing leadership by: supporting women and their families living with the disease, raising awareness in the general public and with health-care professionals, and funding research to develop reliable early detection techniques, improved treatments and, ultimately, a cure."
Ostroff has been involved with OCC since the beginning. In 1992, her battle with cancer began when she found out she had breast cancer for the first time; it recurred in 1995. A year later, in 1996, she found out she had ovarian cancer in one of its later stages. The first doctor she saw didn't think it was cancer and she went for a second opinion. She convinced her oncological gynecological surgeon to remove the cancerous node and has had no sign of ovarian cancer since 1999. She listened to her body, which saved her, but Ostroff feels that she is not cured and the cancer is merely "asleep and dormant."
Ostroff's mother also had cancer but, until she was diagnosed, she had little education about it. Being of Ashkenazi decent, and now knowing the higher risk of cancer associated with that genealogy, Ostroff said she "wishes she knew there was a connection" between her heritage and the disease. She suggested that if people have a close family member with cancer, they should get tested for the cancer gene.
Retired registered nurse Marni Besser agrees with Ostroff and feels that, "women should be aware that symptoms are unspecific." Besser said that people should see a doctor if they have any "medical concerns" and that "it's important to be aware of your body and any changes that may be occurring."
Ostroff spends a lot of time talking to people about her experience and what she went through. She is actively involved with ovarian cancer support groups and is a spokesperson because she is "strong and well" after being diagnosed more than 13 years ago. She "didn't believe she was going to die" and wants other women going through the same situation as she did to have hope and be strong. Ostroff won the National Medal of Courage from the Canada Cancer Society in 1999.
Being a retired teacher, public speaking is something that is very comfortable for Ostroff and she has spoken at various events, including at past Winners Walk of Hope. Because her mother had cancer yet "never said a word" about being tested or educated, Ostroff is doing her best to promote education and awareness so that, over time, there may be "better drugs for her children." She lives an active life with her husband and they have two sons and a daughter; she is very proud to be a baba.
This seventh annual walk, which was started by ovarian cancer survivor Peggy Truscott, will contribute to the $4.5 million already raised. The Sept. 13 Winners Walk of Hope in Vancouver starts at the VanDusen Botanical Garden; in Victoria, walkers should congregate at Royal Roads University; and, in Comox, at Simms Park. Rain or shine, in all locations, registration is at 9 a.m., the 2.5- or five-kilometre walk starts at 10 a.m. and there will be free post-walk refreshments, entertainment and short speeches.
Registration is $25, but if participants raise $100 or more in pledges, their entry fee is waived. To register, pledge a walker or for more information, visit winnerswalkofhope.ca or call toll-free 1-877-413-7970, ext. 232.
Blair Kaplan is a freelance journalist from Vancouver who has a diverse background in communications. For more information, visit blairkaplan.ca.
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