Get involved
Ovacome's
chief executive Louise Bayne is asking members and their friends
and family to get behind the message of BEAT by hosting their own
events. "This is a very exciting time for Ovacome. Ovarian cancer
awareness month is the ideal time of year when we can make
ourselves heard in the press and never has this been more the case
than with our BEAT ovarian cancer campaign".
"We already have the ear of many key journalists, giving members
a strong platform from which to run their own events. Now it is
down to our members and supporters to help us to spread the word of
BEAT".
There are many ways that you can get involved in the BEAT
campaign.
Take a poster to your GP's surgery
It is important that not only women are made aware of the
symptoms of ovarian cancer, but that GPs and other healthcare
professionals are aware too. Ovacome has produced a poster for
surgeries and health centres detailing the symptoms of ovarian
cancer and asking women to speak to their doctors is they are
experiencing any of the symptoms.
We would like to encourage women to take a copy of this poster
along to their local surgery or clinic and ask that it is displayed
in their waiting room. Ovacome members will have recieved a copy of
the poster in the Spring 2010 newsletter, but if you did not or
would like additional copies, they can be ordered from the Ovacome
office or downloaded as a PDF here.
Ovacome has also put together an introductory letter for GPs
that you can take along with the poster. It introduces Ovacome and
the BEAT campaign and explains why health clinics and surgeries
should get involved. It can be downloaded here.
Raising awareness
It is important that every women is made as aware as possible
about the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer. A recent survey by
Ovacome found that over 90% of women with ovarian cancer did not
know the symptoms of the disease before diagnosis and it is still
widely believed that cervical screening will detect ovarian cancer
- it does not. This lack of awareness amongst both women and
healthcare professionals is often a contributing factor towards so
many women experiencing delayed diagnosis and when correct
diagnosis does eventually happen, the disease is often at a late
stage which often makes successful treatment more difficult.
You can help change this by making sure the women you know
amongst your friends and family, in your workplace and in your
wider community are aware of ovarian cancer and its symptoms. You
can do this in a number of simple ways, from displaying a poster or
handing out leaflets, to organising an awareness coffee morning or
giving a short talk at your workplace.
Ovacome can provide you with all the support and materials you
need, just contact us on 020 7299 6654.
Learn more about the symptoms of
ovarian cancer here
See all
our campaign materials here
Tell your story
Ovacome is delighted that so many of our members have supported
us so far with offers to speak to the media. However, we still need
more of you who would be happy to talk with a journalist to get in
touch. It is important that women's stories about the disease and
their diagnosis are heard as it helps to spread awareness about
ovarian cancer and its symptoms. Most people find it a very
positive and empowering experience to share their stories - if you
would like to share any part of yours, contact Amanda Hayhurst on
020 8973 2632 or Juliet Morrison on 01273 208356.
Fundraising
Fundraising events are great ways to both spread the BEAT
message and raise funds to help support the work of Ovacome in
supporting all those with ovarian cancer.
Your event can be as big or as small as you wish and Ovacome has
resources and information to support you all the way. For more
information about the kind of fundraising you could participate in
please see our fundraising pages here.
Speaking at local groups, such as the Women's Institute, can
also be an extremely effective way to raise awareness and to help
raise funds. Ovacome has some guidance notes, produced by its
member and freelance course provider Judy Brown, on how to go about
presenting a talk.
Contacting your own local paper publicising your event can also
be a good way of generating interest and if you would like help in
putting together a press release you can contact our PR team at julietmorrison@btconnect.com