Cancer Survivor Brings 'Teal Around Town' To Cary

Ovarian cancer is difficult detect in the early stages but for 30-year-old Jolene White of Woodstock, the doctor found a mass of tissue in her ovary during a pelvic scan, which led to a biopsy test that found gonadoblastoma ovarian cancer.

“Thirty-year-old women aren’t diagnosed with this, it’s a rare form,” White said.

According to www.ovariancancer.org, ovarian cancer is the ninth most common cancer among women but is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related death among women, and is the deadliest of gynecologic cancers.

White, who has been in remission for three years, is spreading the message about the cancer to educate men, women, children and the medical community.

She began her journey partnering with the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition Illinois chapter, which launched teal-ribbon campaigns. White plans to bring the teal ribbon campaign to Cary and Crystal Lake, and, she hopes, the rest of McHenry County.

• Watch Video: Symptoms Have Little Vaule in Early Detection

White said support events are usually in Chicago, but her goal is to educate around McHenry County and start a local nonprofit for ovarian cancer. In the long-term, awareness needs to start with children in their classrooms, White said.

September is the National Ovarian Cancer Awareness month and the “Teal Around Town” campaign will begin, with teal ribbons being tied around trees in Cary. Cary trustees reached consensus at an administration and development committee meeting on April 10 to allow White to display ribbons.

White hopes to recruit town captains and volunteers in preparation for the awareness month.   

“I have a new outlook on life,” White said. “I think everyone one is here for a reason; I’m here to get people talking about it.”

From the Illinois Public Health Department 

Symptoms of ovarian cancer

Many times women with ovarian cancer have no symptoms, or just mild symptoms, until the disease is in an advanced stage. The initial symptoms of ovarian cancer are similar to gastrointestinal illness and indigestion, making the disease hard to diagnose. Signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer may include:

• general abdominal discomfort and/or pain (gas, indigestion, pressure, bloating, cramps);
• nausea, diarrhea, constipation and frequent urination;
• loss of appetite;
• feeling full even after a light meal;
• weight gain or loss with no known reason;
• abnormal vaginal bleeding

It is important to check with a doctor about any of these symptoms.

All women are at risk for ovarian cancer, but older women are more likely to get the disease than younger women are. About 90 percent of women who get ovarian cancer are older than 40 years of age, with the greatest number of cases occurring in women ages 60 years or older.