Whispers of Hope
-
Upload
annese-associates-inc -
Category
Documents
-
view
223 -
download
3
description
Transcript of Whispers of Hope
Whispers of Hope
My name is Andrea Annese Como and this is my
experience as an Ovarian Cancer survivor. Here’s
a little background: I spent a long time taking
infertility drugs and was never able to conceive a
child. I would soon learn that this increases the risks
of Ovarian Cancer. In July of 2006, I was turning
40 and decided to challenge myself. Exercise and
healthy eating had always been an important part
of my life and so I decided to begin sprint training.
Soon aft er, I started to notice a few symptoms that
were unusual for me. Th is is when the fi rst whispers
began.
frequent urination when exercising… fatigue… spotting between periods… mild pain on
my left side...
Aft er an exam and several other tests, I was told that
there was nothing to be concerned about at that
time. A few weeks later while my family and I were
vacationing in Florida, the whispers began again.
Th ey faded for a few weeks and naturally faded from
my mind as well. Little did I know that another
whisper was right around the corner…
I will never forget that unusually warm day, March
12th, 2007. I picked up our children, Nathaniel and
Nicolette, from school and we were stopping at the
track on the way home to run. I was on my fi nal
sprint when the pain started. Alarmed by its severity,
I called my husband, Dave. Within the hour, we were
at the emergency room.
It was determined that I had two large cysts pressing
against my left ovary which I was given medication
for to ease the pain. Th at following morning, I
met with my gynecologist, Dr. Clements, who
determined that immediate surgery would be
required.
My heart told me something was not right, but my faith told me that everything was going to
be fi ne.
I received the diagnosis of Stage 2 Ovarian Cancer.
Dr. Kredentser, a Gynecological Oncologist who
performed my surgery, later informed me that if I did
not experience the pain from the cysts, my diagnosis
would have remained undetected and the cancer
would have progressed onto Stage 4 very quickly.
How I got my nickname, Lucky.
I was later relieved when Dr.
Aghajanian, Chief of Oncology
at Mount Sinai Hospital in New
York City, told me that
chemotherapy would not
be necessary. Instead, she
recommended three radiation
treatments. Dr. Savage was
my radiologist at St. Peters
Hospital, and I can
honestly say that he and all of
the nurses that cared for me
were incredible as they helped
to make a frightening situation
as comfortable as possible for
me.
I am always asked how cancer
has changed my life, and my
answer is simply this; in many
ways, cancer was a gift .
It forced me to think about who I am and who I want to be.
It has given me clarity of purpose, and that is to raise my beautiful children, Nathaniel and Nicolette.
It has given me clarity of conscience, to have the best attitude each and every day.
In the beginning I remember
thinking, please God, just give
me a break! But aft er time
passed, I realized that God did
give me quite a few breaks. I
went through infertility so I
would be blessed with adopting
Nathaniel and Nicolette. I went
through enough pain to go to
the emergency room, which
led me to surgery. And then,
my big break, my diagnosis was
detected early.
I am so grateful to say that I
recently celebrated fi ve years
of being cancer free. I believe
everything happens for a
reason. In return for all of the
breaks I have received, I am
hoping that I can share my
own experience with as many
women as I can.
I encourage you to share this
story with all of the special
women in your life, and
remember: Ovarian Cancer
whispers, so listen!
Th ank you for listening to
my story. Andrea
Life is a journey and sometimes the greatest obstacles rock your world and clarify your purpose.
I am a Board Member for Caring Together, a local support group educating local colleges. Their mission is to provide support, education, and advocacy for women with Ovarian Cancer as
well as support research eff orts aimed at fi nding an early detection test and a cure. Th rough the organization, I have had the
fortunate opportunity to speak at numerous
events; some of which have included, Albany
Medical College, Russell Sage College, Bassett
Hospital, and Herkimer Community College.
It is my passion in life to educate as many
women as I can about the importance of early
detection!
In November of 2010, I began to plan local
events in my local area of Albany, NY, to
educate the community. I have organized yoga
classes at Estudio, spin classes at Gold’s Gym
and Th e Revolution, and boxing events for
Pugnacious Promotions.
So far, my eff orts have raised $7,500 with
100% of all proceeds donated to Caring
Together.
I have also been part of the Survivors Teaching
Students Program of NYS for the last two
years. Myself, along with several other Ovarian
Cancer survivors share our stories with medical
and nursing students at Albany Medical
College, Russell Sage College, and Th e College
of St. Rose. Th e students get the opportunity to
hear our stories and compare how the doctors,
disease, and medications have changed over the
years.
I feel so very blessed and grateful that my
story has a happy ending and I have made it my
life’s mission to be an advocate and resource for
as many women as I can possibly reach.
Purpose&Passion My
To order, please
(518) 369-3742.
I teamed up with Connelly’s
Diamond Gallery to create this
unique piece of jewelry (featured
below) to support the Ovarian
Cancer cause.
Th e bracelet is made of Austrian
crystals baked into 10 mm clay
beads and threaded in nylon cord.
Th e bracelets retail for $50.00.
$25 of every sale will be donated
to Caring Together! Th e bracelets
operate with a manual slide and
comes in one-size-fi ts-all.
Wris
t in
Wris
t. Ha
nd in
Han
d. Show
your support in style.
e contact me at:
.
To order an Ovarian Cancer bracelet visit:www.sparkleforhope.com
I have been lucky enough to have had my story published in some
high profi le magazines in an attempt to educate as many women as
possible on the importance of early detection. Such publications include:
Syracuse Woman MagazineHer Life Magazine
Times Union HealthyLife MagazineCNY Woman Magazine
If you are interested in reading any of these articles, contact me!
Pictured above: Frieda
Weeks (founder of Hope for Heather) and I at the annual
Charity Fashion Show &
Brunch in Syracuse, NY
Pictured Top and Right:
Magazine shoot for
HealthyLifePictured Below: My story in
Syracuse Woman Magazine
Telling My Story
SUPER SATURDAY! I attended Super Saturday for the fi rst
time in 2011 and the experience was so
emotional because it was a dream to be
there and help. I know someday there wil be
a cure or an early detection test for Ovarian
Cancer. I will smile knowing I did my little
part in painting the town teal and educating
women. It was amazing to see hundreds of
people come together to make this event
possible. Th e event ended up raising $3.5
million!
Painting the Town TealWhat is Super Saturday?
Th e Ovarian Cancer Research Fund’s (OCRF) Annual
Super Saturday Event was co-hosted in 2011 by Donna
Karan, Kelly Ripa, and Ariel Foxman of InStyle.
OCRF is the largest independent organization in the
United States dedicated exclusively to funding Ovarian
Cancer research and fi nding a cure.
OCRF has invested nearly $40 million towards
developing innovative strategies for early detection,
identifying new and better targets for treatment, and
determining how to super charge a woman’s immune
response to better fi ght Ovarian Cancer. Th e exclusive
sale, was featured on QVC households, allowing
shoppers throughout the country to get designer styles at
approximately half the manufacturer’s retail price.
Kelly Ripa (pictured with me below!) a longtime
supporter of OCRF, has hosted Super Saturday for the
past seven years.
cancercancer
cramps
disease
fatigue
ovariancramps
mild pain
frequent urination
spotting
check-up
spotting
bloating
mild painmild painmild paincramps
spotting
fatigue
frequent urination
spotting
diffi cultyeating
listen to the
early detection
bloating
Listencramps
crampspp
ovarian
abdominal pain
disease
bloating
bloating
cancer
whisperscrampslisten to
h
early detectionpreventionearly detectionarly detectionarly detectionpp listentiti
Risk Factors
Peri or post-menopause
Uninterrupted ovulation (no pregnancies and or prior use of oral contraceptives)
Family or personal history of breast/ovarian cancer
Presence of BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 gene mutations
Don’t be Don’t be a statistic, be a story...
Historically, Ovarian Cancer
has been called the “silent killer”
because symptoms were not
thought to develop until the
chance of cure was poor. However,
recent studies have shown this
term is untrue and that the
symptoms (see box to the left )
are much more likely to occur in
women with Ovarian Cancer than
women in the general population.
Women with Ovarian Cancer
report that symptoms are
persistent and represent a change
from normal for their bodies.
Th e frequency and/or number of
such symptoms are key factors in
the diagnosis of Ovarian Cancer.
Several studies show that even
early stage Ovarian Cancer can
produce these symptoms.
As women, we know our bodies,
and we know when something
is diff erent. It is crucial that we
pay attention to these symptoms
should they arise, however
insignicant we may think they are.
Early detection is key to saving
lives!
...the silent disease Risk FactorsPeri or post-menopause
Uninterrupted ovulation (no pregnancies and
or prior use of oral contraceptives)
Family or personal history of breast/ovarian cancer
Presence of BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 gene mutations
Use of oral contraceptives for 5+
years
Multiple pregnancies, breast feeding
diagnosesdeaths
14k22k
a statistic, be a Don’t be a statistic, be a storystory......Signs &
SymptomsOvarian Cancer is the
leading cause of death from
gynecological cancers in
the United States. In 2011,
an estimated 22,000 women
were diagnosed with Ovarian
Cancer and 14,000 women
lost their lives to Ovarian
Cancer.
Th e most eff ective way a
woman can protect herself
against Ovarian Cancer is to
become educated.
Learn the signs and
symptoms. Listen to your
body. If these symptoms
persist and they are unusual
for you, see a health care
professional to rule out the
possibility of Ovarian Cancer.
Currently there is no accurate
test for Ovarian Cancer as the
PAP test does not detect it.
If any of these signs and
symptoms are persistent
and unusual for you,
speak to your gynecologist
immediately and ask them to:
“Prove to me that I am not at
risk for Ovarian Cancer.”
(Information provided by
the Ovarian Cancer Research
Fund – www.ocrf.org)
Vague but persistent and unexplained gastrointestinal
complaints
Pelvic and/or abdominal swelling or pain, bloating and/or feeling of fullness
Unexplained change in bowel habits
Frequency and/or urgency of urination
Unexplained weight gain or loss
New and unexplained abnormal post menopausal
vaginal bleeding
mother
friend
survivorbu
sines
s ow
ner
Let’s Paint the Town Teal
If you have an idea or opportunity to spread the word about Ovarian
Cancer, contact me!
Andrea Annese Como518-369-3742 cell
[email protected] email
daughter
woman
wifesister
advocate