Lewes to kick off Turn the Towns Teal initiative Aug. 30

The City of Lewes is participating for the ninth year in a national campaign to create awareness of ovarian cancer and its symptoms.

For Turn The Towns Teal, volunteers will tie ribbons to light poles in the Lewes historic business district at 11 a.m., Wednesday, Aug. 30.

Lewes Mayor Andrew Williams, Sussex County Councilman Mark Shaeffer and other elected officials will join the Turn The Towns Teal volunteers as they tie the first ribbon on a light pole near the Savannah Road entrance of Zwaanendael Park, next to the Zwaanendael Museum.

Volunteers will continue the process on the roads surrounding Second Street. Educational brochures will be available at local merchants to provide additional information for women.

Sally Oberle, special projects vice president for the Delaware Ovarian Cancer Foundation, who lost her sister Sidney to ovarian cancer, coordinates the campaign and volunteers in her sister’s memory. She encourages more volunteers to join the foundation and help save more women’s lives.

Also represented will be Beebe Healthcare Oncology Services, which includes Tunnell Cancer Center and South Coastal Cancer Center,

The awareness initiative annually takes place in September, which is National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.

The Turn The Towns Teal initiative gives ovarian cancer survivors a voice, and the volunteers who have lost a loved one to this disease are proud to do something proactive in memory of their loved ones. There is still no test for ovarian cancer, so knowledge of the vague symptoms is crucial. Symptoms that persist for longer than two weeks, such as urinary issues, difficulty eating or feeling full quickly, and bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, should be discussed with a physician. All women are at risk, with ovarian cancer affecting 1 in 70 females at any age. Due to late diagnoses (fewer than 20% are diagnosed early) and a high recurrence rate (70%-90%), it is the deadliest of the gynecologic cancers.

Residents are encouraged to join the effort by tying a teal ribbon on their mailboxes, doors and sign posts to show support for this Ovarian Cancer Awareness Campaign. Other signs of support can be displayed by wearing  teal clothing on Teal Tuesdays, teal hair extensions, teal awareness bands, teal ribbon car magnets, and polishing nails as teal tips and toes.

For more information, go to delawareovariancancer.org.