Bring Ovarian Cancer Awareness to Your Community. Activity Guide.

Transcription

1 Bring Ovarian Cancer Awareness to Your Community Activity Guide

2 What is the Ovarian Cancer Day of Silence? The mission of the Ovarian Cancer Day of Silence is to raise awareness about the symptoms and risks of ovarian cancer and to encourage women to be their own health advocates. Participants take a vow of silence for the day, encouraging women to listen for the signs of ovarian cancer and honoring those who have been forever silenced by the disease. Only in silence can you hear the whisper. As there is no screening test for ovarian cancer, women must know the subtle symptoms of ovarian cancer and listen to their bodies. Education and awareness of the signs and symptoms of the disease provides an opportunity to women for early detection. If detected early, survival rates are above 90%. Unfortunately, less than 20% are diagnosed early, and over 70% of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer will not survive the disease. For this reason, it is imperative that everyone learn the early signs and symptoms of the disease and help the women in their lives listen for the whisper. If you or a woman you love experiences symptoms for over two weeks, seek medical assistance immediately. The Ovarian Cancer Day of Silence is dedicated in loving memory to Carol Watterson, Stage IV ovarian cancer fighter. This year, more than 22,000 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and 14,000 will pass away from the disease. Help everyone in your community listen for the whisper. Early detection saves lives. PAGE2

3 Bring the Ovarian Cancer Day of Silence to Your Community Step One: Learn More Before you can tell others about the whisper of ovarian cancer, you have to learn how to hear it yourself and to be confident as your own health advocate. Ovarian cancer is difficult to detect, especially in the early stages. These are some of the potential signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer: Symptoms: Bloating Pelvic or abdominal pain Trouble eating, feeling full quickly Feeling the need to urinate urgently or often Other symptoms of ovarian cancer can include: Fatigue Upset stomach or heartburn Back pain Pain during sex Constipation Menstrual changes If you or a woman you love experiences symptoms for over two weeks, seek medical assistance immediately. Also know the risk factors of ovarian cancer, like the inherited genetic mutation in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. Find more information at. Step 2: Register and Connect Register for the Ovarian Cancer Day of Silence on our website to receive reminders about the campaign, to share your photos and stories, and to connect with other ovarian cancer fighters and self-health advocates. Talk about it and promote the campaign to raise awareness and build support for the day. Direct others to and share OCDOS with your social network: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, LinkedIn, and YouTube. PAGE3

4 Step 3: Get Ready, Get TEAL d Paint the Town TEAL! Get your community ready by printing and distributing the poster included on page 10. Connect with other cancer awareness organizations or groups that have mutual interests to help spread the word. Ask if you can display posters in local businesses and schools, and use the example press release on page 14 to contact your local media. Deck Out in TEAL Get your wardrobe ready by decorating t-shirts to wear in support and by making fun TEAL accessories. Find other fun ways to TEAL your community on pages 8 and 9. The possibilities are endless! PAGE4

5 Step 4: FUNdraise You can raise funds to support ovarian cancer awareness through a variety of events and activities. Involve Family and Friends Enlist your family and friends to help hold a bake sale or car wash. Ask someone who cannot participate to help you collect donations. If you have a talent for crafts or cooking, make something to raffle off. Host a TEAL Happy Hour Consider holding a TEAL Happy Hour at a supporting restaurant to raise funds for OCDOS. Have the partnering bar concoct a teal martini to help spread awareness. Most businesses are happy to support a great cause like OCDOS. Many local restaurants offer 10% nights to nonprofits. Representatives for Mary Kay, Pampered Chef, and other direct sales companies will also donate a portion of sales to your cause. Just ask! TEAL a Table Set up an awareness table at a business, church, or event to distribute materials and collect donations from games, raffles, or sales. PAGE5

6 Step 5: Be Silent Raise Awareness Make the Most Impact Take a vow of silence for the day, encouraging women to listen for the signs of ovarian cancer and honoring those who have been forever silenced by the disease. Staying silent for the entire day, although difficult, will create the most impact. However, if you cannot stay silent all day, try to wear teal and stay silent during those times of the day when you are out in public (e.g. grocery shopping, getting gas, taking a coffee break, walking to work, etc.). If you can only commit to a few hours or less of silence, that s okay! The purpose of the OCDOS is to raise awareness about the symptoms and risks of ovarian cancer and encourage women to listen for the whisper. Whatever your level of participation, you are raising awareness, which may save a woman s life. Wear Your Support Get decked out in TEAL with your decorated t-shirt and accessories. Let the Cards Speak for You Hand out the Communication Cards on pages 12 and 13 (print out 2-sided) to speak for you about the warning signs of ovarian cancer. Share Your Snapshot Share your picture on. Use the Silent Snapshot on page 13 to explain why you are silent on the Ovarian Cancer Day of Silence. Share your experiences through social media: people s reactions, your influence, and how you re helping save lives! PAGE6

7 Listen to Your Body Become intentional about listening to your body. No one knows your body better than you do, and it is imperative to be your own health advocate. Honor the Silenced Honor those you have been forever silenced by the disease with luminaries. Even a small display in front of your house will make a big statement. Step 6: Break the Silence We are silent for one day out of the year, because, in the over-stimulated and noisy world we live in, silence can have great impact. For one day, we raise awareness, while listening to our own bodies and honoring those who have been forever silenced by the disease. For all the other days of the year, tell people about ovarian cancer and encourage them to be their own health advocates! PAGE7

8 TEAL Activities Hershey Kiss Angels To make these adorably sweet treats, you will need mini bow tie pasta, teal acrylic paint,12mm faux pearl craft beads, 10mm silver metal jump rings, Hershey s Kisses, and a hot glue gun. Paint the uncooked bow tie pasta and let dry. Glue the rings to the beads, covering one of the holes. After drying, glue the head with halo and pasta wings on to the Kiss and let dry. Include Your Pet Take a walk and tie a teal bandana around your pet to raise more awareness. You can also decorate its collar with your favorite teal items. Our pets can offer stress reduction, companionship, and compassion, so who better to include in the campaign? Luminaries Turn a paper bag into a luminary and tribute to honor a loved one. Personalize the bag with memories, drawings, or pictures. Place sand and a candle inside of the bag. Use several luminaries to light a pathway, illuminate a field, or simply place in front of your home. Burn all night or perhaps the week leading up to the Ovarian Cancer Day of Silence. PAGE8

9 Hair Clips Assemble your favorite teal materials. Snap Clips (We strongly recommend getting these from the sewing section of the store rather than the hair section same metal clip, much cheaper!) Beads or buttons Plastic craft lace Glitter glue Hot glue Ribbon or fabric Attach the crafty products to the snap clips to make beautiful, unique hair accessories. Here are some ways to do this: Lace the beads or buttons to the snap clips using plastic craft lace. Melt or tie the lace to keep it in place. Hot glue the beads or buttons into place. Knot the plastic craft lace into ribbons on the snap clips. Use glitter glue on everything to make it sparkly and beautiful. Duct Tape Bracelets There are several ways to make bracelets and accessories to show your support for ovarian cancer awareness. These bracelets are easy to make and wear. You will need 8.5 x 11 paper, teal duct tape, scissors, and sticky back ¾ Velcro white tape. Take a sheet of bright green, teal, or white paper. Place teal duct tape across the short edge of the page. Five bracelets can be made with one sheet of paper. Cut off any excess tape along the edges, and cut between each bracelet. Cut off about an inch of Velcro tape. Place the soft loops piece on the short edge of the duct tape side of the bracelet, and stick the hard hooks piece on the opposite and end side. Now you have five fashionable duct tape bracelets that can adjust to fit any sized wrist. Have more ideas? Please share with us! Post your activities on our Facebook page or britaini@tealdayofsilence.org. PAGE9

10 OVARIAN CANCER Take a vow of silence to empower women to listen for the signs of ovarian cancer and honor those who have been forever silenced. TEALDayofSilence.org facebook.com/ovariancancerdayofsilence

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13 APRIL 5, 2018

14 OVARIAN CANCER DAY SILENCE OF FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Britaini Watterson Annual Ovarian Cancer Day of Silence PITTSBURGH, PA Get ready for the city to be a little quieter. On Thursday, April 5, 2018, women and men in Pennsylvania will join other states in the Sixth Annual Ovarian Cancer Day of Silence to raise awareness of the symptoms and risk factors of ovarian cancer and encourage women to be their own health advocates. Participants take a vow of silence for the day, encouraging women to listen for the signs of ovarian cancer and honoring those forever silenced by the disease. Only in silence can you hear the whisper. As there is no screening test for ovarian cancer, women must know the subtle symptoms of ovarian cancer and listen to their bodies. Education and awareness of the signs and symptoms of the disease provides an opportunity to women for early detection. If detected early, survival rates are above 90%. Unfortunately, less than 20% are diagnosed early, and over 70% of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer will not survive the disease. For this reason, it is imperative that everyone learn the early signs and symptoms of the disease and help the women in their lives listen for the whisper. Over 500 participants are expected to be silent on April 8, wearing teal tape, teal awareness ribbons, teal clothing or any other means to raise awareness, giving women diagnosed with ovarian cancer a better chance. Some have pledged to remain silent the entire day, while others have committed to being silent for a portion of their waking hours. All are committed to raising awareness for the disease. Participants will pass out informative cards that will speak for them and explain the Day of Silence and symptoms of ovarian cancer. The Ovarian Cancer Day of Silence not only raises awareness about ovarian cancer in a loud way, it encourages women to listen to their bodies and be their own health advocates. It s not normal to feel awful, and women of all ages need to know the symptoms of this deadly disease, said Britaini Watterson, Ovarian Cancer Day of Silence Founder and Chair. I founded the Day of Silence in honor of my mom Carol Watterson, a Stage IV fighter. Sadly, she passed away on September 23, We celebrate successes and memorialize others have also been taken by the disease with our silence. About the Ovarian Cancer Day of Silence: The mission of the Ovarian Cancer Day of Silence is to raise awareness about the symptoms and risks of ovarian cancer and encourage women to take early action and live. Participants take a vow of silence for the day, encouraging women to listen for the signs of ovarian cancer and honoring those who have been forever silenced by the disease. For more information visit TEALDayofSilence.org and ###