ovariancancer.jpgToday I got a wonderful email from a friend/colleague who, in an email sent to all the faculty staff and students in my department, has identified her participation in the CIBC Race for the Cure as in support of my recovery. That’s really great. I was moved that my colleague would link up her fundraising with my own experience with breast cancer. I like the queer blend of public and private in that gesture. I’ll be walking in the Race, as part of Brandy’s team — fellow cancer-blogger and writer extraordinaire . And in case you don’t know all the facts and figures about breast cancer, and why we all need to do our bit to raise awareness and funds, start reading. I am amazed by what I didn’t know about breast cancer until my own diagnosis. So don’t feel bad about not knowing. Ignorance effects are complex.

The sheer scope and deadly impact of breast cancer fells me in my tracks every time I look at the numbers. In 2007, about 23,00 women in Canada will be diagnosed with breast cancer, and 5,400 women will die from it. But when your world starts looking like pink is the only colour for cancers that affect women, think again.

Did you know that September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month? I didn’t, until recently. What colour is the ovarian cancer ribbon (click here to find out)? Did you know that lesbians are at particular risk for ovarian cancer (less likely to take oral contraceptives and to give birth, both of which reduce risk). Southern Comfort (a documentary) tells the story of a trans guy whose ovarian cancer went undiagnosed because of gender/trans discrimination, to the point that it was untreatable and fatal. As you may know, this summer witnessed two entanglements with cancer diagnoses and related surgeries for me — July was breast cancer month, and August, ovarian cancer. The second surgery turned out to be a false alarm for cancer, and the complex abdominal mass that had the gyne/onco docs worried was actually a grapefruit-sized benign fallopian cyst.

Until my own brush with ovarian cancer, everything I knew about it came from my friend Spike’s amazing ovarian cancer blog. My time online looking up information about the two kinds of cancer revealed stark differences. There is a veritable flood of information about breast cancer, and virtually none about ovarian cancer. And what corporate campaigns can you think of that co-brand products with ovarian cancer in the manner in which this is commonly done with breast cancer. I can’t think of a single example. My brief encounter with ovarian cancer was plenty long enough for me to become keenly aware of multiple differences between the two, all of which could go under the heading of — It’s Deadly, But It’s Not Sexy. And that would, yes, be a reference to the sociocultural politics of ovarian cancer as it compares with breast cancer as a marketing/branding tool.

Make no mistake about it, ovarian cancer is absolutely deadly, and significantly more likely to kill those who live with it than breast cancer. And there are many folks living with ovarian cancer. Yes the prevalence is lower than breast cancer, but nevertheless, ovarian cancer is the fourth leading cause of death from cancer amongst women.

I have taken the liberty here of including an excerpt from an ovarian cancer blog that hits the nail right on the head.

Excerpted from: Elsnr’s Ovarian Cancer blog

I Think I Got the Wrong Cancer (a vent/opinion)

Here it is September, Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month and Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month. Sadly, here in Madison, it is so quiet I can hear my heart beat. Even the event that the UW Comprehensive Cancer Center had no media coverage and they will alert the media. I’ve heard others say the same thing - nothing. This is a very quiet year. Today when I was at a Hallmark Store there were several things for breast cancer. You can even do a Hallmark e-card for breast cancer. In Penney’s there was an area with pink items and a big pink ribbon. Someone gave me issues of Redbook and Ladies Home Journal October magazines just out–filled with breast cancer and pink. I know it wasn’t teal in September. Even the American Cancer Society has nothing on its homepage on ovarian and gynecologic cancers. There is, however, a box with a pink ribbon for breast cancer.

I think I got the wrong cancer. I got an unpopular women’s cancer and no one wants to talk about gynecologic cancers. Uterine cancer has a death rate equal to breast cancer. Ovarian cancer has a death rate four times that of breast cancer.

I think I got the wrong cancer. If I had to have cancer, I wish I’d had breast cancer. There is so much awareness, so many magazine articles, so many companies getting on board the pink bandwagon. I’d have plenty of resources, plenty of support. I’d just have to say cancer and people would say “breast?” and be sympathetic.

I think I got the wrong cancer. This is one that only a very few companies jump on the bandwagon and help spread awareness. This is one on which it is an uphill battle to get awareness/education out. It isn’t popular. Breast cancer is popular. Ovarian and gynecologic cancers aren’t popular. Everyone cares about breast cancer. Gynecologic cancers? Not unless you have a relative or friend with them.

I think I got the wrong cancer. Since it seems that women only get breast cancer and no other “women’s” cancers, I think my cancer got confused. It was supposed to be breast cancer but it got lost in my body and took the wrong road and wound up in the ovaries.

I think I got the wrong cancer. I got a very lonely cancer. I can go everywhere especially in mid-September through October and find pink ad nauseam. I don’t see teal. Women don’t know enough about my cancer but they know quite a bit about breast cancer.

When, of when, will our voices be as loud as the breast cancer voices? When will we be recognized? When will awareness and education spread all over? When will women go to their doctors and see materials on gynecologic cancer as well as materials on breast cancer? When will teal be as recognizable as pink? When…