Sodus Heights Golf Club dining room quickly filled with women of all ages and sizes, laughing as they sat at the ‘reservations only’ tables set with fine dishes and tableware. The mood was light and fun, heartfelt hugs and wide smiles of recognition, gestures of genuine love and appreciation heard throughout the room. Deep male voices were peppered in here and there, but not nearly as much as the female.
It was a reunion of sorts, but not the kind of club anyone willingly became a member. When it was time to begin, Susan Short, Coordinator of the Cancer Screening Partnership Dinner and a breast cancer survivor herself, stood proudly to welcome them and thank them for their presence. The topic was serious, but she was able to maintain a sense of fun, cracking jokes to put the audience at ease.
“Now is the time to start taking care of ourselves” she finished with a smile.
Ovarian cancer is the eighth most common cancer (not counting skin cancer) in women, especially over age 55. Clear Channel (WHAM) television and radio medical reporter Liz Bonis then took to the podium to begin her presentation on “Ovarian Cancer: What Every Woman Should Know.”
A registered dietician, nutritionist and Certified Personal Trainer, Liz also has a Masters Degree in Public Communication. Having lost her father to cancer when she was very young, she has dedicated most of her life’s work to teaching others about eating healthy, laying the groundwork to hopefully living a cancer free lifestyle, and how to maintain it after surviving cancer. Her passion drives her to educate and expand women’s awareness about the disease in order to be diagnosed early should they exhibit any of the symptoms. Overweight as a child, she knew the helplessness felt by those who are touched by this disease. Her passion for health became the motivation to speak to women this evening. She also introduced her mother, Esther, who lives in the area.
Hosted by the Newark-Wayne Community Hospital and the Cancer Screening Partnership of Wayne County, and made possible by a grant from the New York State Ovarian Cancer Awareness Education and Support Initiative, the audience listed intently as she outlined the proper treatments such as diet, portion sizes and exercise in order to maintain a healthy weight. Two thirds of the audience members are breast cancer survivors. Alarmingly, there are fewer ovarian survivors as sometimes the symptoms are easily dismissed as other maladies. Symptoms of ovarian cancer include backaches, fatigue, upset stomach, pain during sex, constipation and menstrual changes. Many of these symptoms can be easily dismissed as being overworked. Potential early warning signals can also be bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, trouble eating or feeling full quickly, urinary symptoms such as urgency (always feeling like you have to go) or frequency (having to go often). She urges every one to pay attention to a CHANGE FROM NORMAL.
Some women exhibit no symptoms at all. Luba Labash, a 15 year ovarian cancer survivor and one of the guests on a four member panel, thanks her husband for saving her life. She had been diagnosed with a non malignant cyst on her ovary, and was going to put off having the surgery until a later date.
“My husband told me to do it now and get it over with” she said from the podium. “The doctor didn’t see the cancer behind the cyst until I was lying on the table. If I had waited any longer, it would have been a very different ending.” Other members on the panel nodded in agreement.
Marilyn Weissend has battled ovarian cancer beginning at age 49, and several years later, lung cancer. She is a 23 year survivor. “You have to become your own health advocate, and early detection is the key” she counseled from her seat. “Don’t try to go through it alone – talk to your friends and family, because they want to help you but may not know how.”
Options for early detection are annual pelvic exams, abdominal ultrasounds, Blood Tests (CA125) and high speed CT scanning.
Questions from the audience arose when Liz mentioned the CA125 test, since many doctors have discovered the possible false positive diagnosis. It is always safer to have more than one test, and the initial test can be used as a point tracker, to determine if there has been any changes in blood chemistry the next time a test is performed.
With all the information about testing and treatments, it is easy to become overwhelmed and discouraged. But there are great strides being made in treatment and even prevention. The University of Hawaii has just finished a study and finds birth control pills protect against ovarian cancer. There are also cancer vaccines and genetic vaccines being administered. There are even records of successful ovarian transplants being performed in the United States.
Linda Orrvick, a 15 year survivor also cautioned the women to not be intimidated by doctors. “You also have to talk to them, not hope they will guess what is wrong with you. Take charge of your body and tell them what you want.”
“Most of all, don’t give up” urged Luba. “I watched Bill Cosby tapes. I know his entire routine from beginning to end. I had to make myself laugh, and when I did, I always felt better. You just have to have hope.”
The evening was beginning to wind down, and Liz was finishing up. “It’s not just about weight management. It’s about taking care of yourself and being aware of what you eat. It’s like money – how do you want to spend it? It’s up to you.”
Liz Bonis feels that if she can help one woman by getting something detected, she will feel it all worthwhile. Making an impact on someone who knows and recognizes the symptoms of ovarian cancer, means she has done her job. She ended the evening with a poem and a joke.
“If you liked me, I’m Liz Bonis. If you didn’t I’m Susan Powter” (a reference to a new age fitness guru from the early 90’s and to whom she has a slight resemblance).
But everyone in the room recognized the sincerity in her voice was real. You can find other segments of her talk, including specific foods to eat and tests to ask for on her website at http://www.lightenupwithliz.com/. Sodus Bay is a great place to live and visit, and we were lucky to have Liz Bonis here with us this evening.
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