Raising funds and awareness in the fight against ovarian cancer
Just a few of the members from the Whisper Warriors team at the Teal Ribbon/Walk from left, Joan Wagner, retired from Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Central School and an educational consultant and author; Nancy Quenelle, Greenwich TA retiree; Linda Austin; and Rosemary Harrigan, on leave from Duanesburg Central School and Executive Director of the Greater Capital Region Teacher Center.
There's a message that Linda Austin wants to shout from the rooftops. It's a message every female should read, so listen carefully.
"If you feel bloated, feel full quickly, feel a frequent or urgent need to urinate, or have pelvic or abdominal pain that persists nearly every day for more than two or three weeks, go to a doctor and get screened for ovarian cancer," Austin said. "Ovarian cancer is known as the silent cancer because it's believed to have no symptoms until it's too late. It does have symptoms. You just need to listen."
A retired member of the Greenwich Teachers Association in Washington County, Austin was one of many educators and NYSUT staffers who participated in the 2007 Teal Ribbon Run/Walk in Albany. The more than $100,000 raised will be donated to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund in memory of Laura Kerzic, a NYSUT accountant who died in June after a four-year battle.
The Sept. 16 walk is the major fund-raiser for Caring Together, the Capital Region ovarian cancer support group. Since the first Teal Ribbon Run/Walk in 2002, Caring Together has raised and donated over $200,000 for ovarian cancer research.
Ovarian cancer is the deadliest of the gynecologic cancers. In 2007 as many as 23,000 women will be newly diagnosed and more than 15,000 women will die.
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'Laura's Lucky Stars' walk to honor NYSUT staffer. This year's Sept. 16 Teal Ribbon Run/Walk in Albany promises to have more NYSUT staff and supporters than ever, in honor of union accountant Laura Kerzic, who died of ovarian cancer in June after spending years gearing up with twin hopes: education and successful treatment.