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Macomb Mayor Mike Inman is pictured with WIU Women's Center staff and volunteers, Kennedi Kimbrough, Janine Cavicchia, Kaitlyn Bossolono, Emily Claire Henkelman, Bree Bracey and Patrick Jonasen on Macomb's Courthouse Square.
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WIU Marks Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month

September 18, 2015

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MACOMB, IL – The Western Illinois University Women's Center is hosting several events to mark September as Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.

The American Cancer Society estimates that 21,920 new cases of ovarian cancer will be diagnosed and approximately 14,180 deaths caused by ovarian cancer will occur in the United States during 2015. Every September, the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance hosts a "30 Days of Teal" campaign to raise awareness about ovarian cancer and its silent symptoms.

Turn the Towns Teal is a national campaign to promote awareness of ovarian cancer and its symptoms. It consists of volunteers tying teal ribbons in towns, as well as volunteers handing out symptom cards and literature on ovarian cancer.

Staff and volunteers from the WIU Women's Center tied ribbons on trees and lampposts around the Macomb Courthouse Square and distributed symptom cards and flyers to local businesses Friday, Sept. 4, which was national Wear Teal Day. Macomb Mayor Mike Inman also signed a proclamation, which also had been signed by WIU President Jack Thomas, in support of local events.

According to WIU Women's Center director Janine Cavicchia, this is the fourth year the Women's Center has coordinated Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month activities.

"We got involved shortly after one of our student workers and Feminist Action Alliance member, Jennifer Mason, was diagnosed with Stage 3c ovarian cancer at age 22, and she asked if we would be willing to help her raise awareness among college students and others in our campus and local community," Cavicchia said.

Although Mason had to take a semester away from school to have chemotherapy treatments, she graduated from Western in 2013.

"Sadly, Jennifer passed away on Sept. 18, 2014, after a valiant three and one-half year journey, during which she inspired everyone with her strength, courage, faith, positive attitude and sense of humor," said Cavicchia. "We continue to raise awareness in her memory, and in support of current students, faculty and staff (and family and friends) who are battling this disease."

One of the volunteers who helped teal the town this year was WIU student Kaitlyn Bossolono, a sophomore zoology major from Braidwood, IL, who has ovarian cancer and is passionate about spreading awareness of the disease and its often misdiagnosed symptoms.

"Turn the Towns Teal was very special to me because you see all of the awareness for breast cancer in our daily lives, but none for ovarian cancer," Bossolono said. "It was nice to see a town bring awareness to something that is not common but is very deadly. More women should be aware of ovarian cancer because it could happen and there is no early detection test for it."

The Women's Center will staff a table in the Union Concourse from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 23 with handouts, symptom cards and teal ribbons for those interested in more information about ovarian cancer.

On Tuesday, Sept. 29, the Women's Center will host a REAL Women: Women as Researchers, Educators, Activists and Leaders presentation with a screening of "The Fight of Our Life," a 30-minute documentary of three women telling their stories of battling ovarian cancer, followed by a talk by Bossolono who will share her story. The program will be held from 12:30-1:30 p.m. in the Multicultural Center on the WIU-Macomb campus and is open free to the public.

For more information, contact Women's Center graduate assistant Emily Henkelman at (309) 298-2242 or at EC-Henkelman@wiu.edu.

To learn more about "Turn the Towns Teal," visit turnthetownsteal.org and to learn more about ovarian cancer, visit ovariancancer.org.

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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