September is National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, and I wanted to make a special mosaic in honor of my sister-in-law Gail and my friend Lynn Lunger, who are both Ovarian Cancer Survivors. Teal is the color of Ovarian Cancer Awareness, and it is an apt color, since it changes from blue to green depending on the shade, and can be elusive to pin down, as can be the symptoms of Ovarian Cancer, which can be vague like abdominal pain and bloating. I get overwhelmed by awareness months sometimes, but what I take from this particular one is the sharing of a larger pattern and persistence of symptoms, which in relation to each other might mean something different, and particularly important for a form of cancer that does not have an early screening test or method of detection.
I was impressed by the work of Gail MacNeil and her Turn the Towns Teal Campaign.
Turn The Towns Teal® was was founded by Gail MacNeil of Chatham, NJ, who was inspired by her own experiences. . . She wanted to spare others what she and her family endured. Gail was fastidious about her health and went to her gynecologist on three separate occasions complaining of classic symptoms; however, her doctor dismissed these symptoms as merely the onset of middle age. On December 23, 1997 Gail was diagnosed with Stage IIIC ovarian cancer. There is NO early detection test for ovarian cancer which is why this campaign is so very, very critical in fighting the disease.
Team Etsy Project Embrace was started in honor of Laura Slocum, Etsy crafter, who was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer, as a way to raise funds for the American Cancer Society. I am a member of this team, and 50% of the proceeds of the Teal Patchwork Mosaic Trivet will go to the American Cancer Society. [I am pleased to say that the teal mosaic sold!]
Related:
My grandma died of ovarian cancer 20 years ago. They didn’t know what it was until it was pretty advanced, so awareness is really important.
Get checked everyone!
And your piece is just lovely as ushe, Margaret.
I’m sorry that your grandmother was part of the pattern of late discovery of Ovarian Cancer. Thank you for your kind words about my piece.
This is a very touching piece. I am so happy to hear that your sister-in-law and friend are both survivors. Fortunately this is one of the few cancers that has not touched my family.
How did I possibly miss this post? Oh, that’s right, I was on the road with no signal…
A cause very near and dear to me as well. My friend fought valiantly and did not win. Teal will always be in my heart. Thank you for doing this.
Friends like yours are all the more reason to do something in teal!