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Briggs King seeks volunteers to help Turn the Town Teal Sept. 1

Creating greater awareness about ovarian cancer
July 30, 2017

The Town of Georgetown will again be displaying teal-colored ribbons to Turn the Town Teal in September.

For the fourth year in a row, Rep. Ruth Briggs King, R-Georgetown, will be teaming up with the Town of Georgetown to create greater awareness about ovarian cancer by tying teal ribbons in the jurisdiction for the Turn the Towns Teal campaign. She is asking for volunteers to assist her and Georgetown Mayor Bill West in this effort. To volunteer, come to Georgetown Family Restaurant at 10 a.m., Friday, Sept. 1.

Turn the Towns Teal is a national campaign designed to raise awareness of what has often been referred to as a "silent disease" because ovarian cancer's symptoms are typically vague and subtle. There is no reliable diagnostic screening for ovarian cancer, and that is why awareness of the known symptoms is so important. If detected in the early stages, the reported five-year survival rate for ovarian cancer is over 90 percent.

Prior to the ribbon distribution, Briggs King invites constituents and any volunteers to meet her at 10 a.m., Sept. 1, at Georgetown Family Restaurant, 115 East Market St. Briggs King and volunteers will head to The Circle to begin hanging the ribbons.

The biodegradable ribbons will mark September as National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. The ribbons will remain displayed throughout the month. Residents are also encouraged to tie teal ribbons on their mailboxes and sign posts on their property to show support for the awareness campaign.

There is still no test for ovarian cancer, so knowledge of the vague symptoms is crucial. If the following persist for more than two weeks, they should be discussed with a physician: bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, difficulty eating or feeling full quickly, or urinary symptoms (frequency or urgency). They mimic other conditions, thus are extremely difficult to diagnose. All women are at risk; the disease affects 1 in 70 females of any age. Due to late diagnoses (less than 20 percent are diagnosed early) and a high recurrence rate (70-90 percent), it is the deadliest of the gynecologic cancers.

For more information, go to www.deovariancancer.org.

 

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