September declared Arlington Heights Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month
The Arlington Heights board of trustees have issued a proclamation to declare the month of September Ovarian Cancer Awareness month. In conjunction with the national campaign Turnthetownsteal.org, volunteers will call attention to this disease by tying USA-made teal ribbons in front of their homes.
Turn The Towns Teal promotes awareness of ovarian cancer, as well as it's subtle symptoms and risk factors. There is no conclusive early detection test for ovarian cancer, which is why this campaign is so important to women of all ages.
The subtle symptoms of ovarian cancer imitate other health concerns, including fatigue, abdominal pain, vague gastronomical upsets, as well as feeling "full" quickly. Every woman is at risk of developing ovarian cancer. A Pap test does not detect this disease.
Turn The Towns Teal was founded by Gail MacNeil, of Chatham, New Jersey, who battled ovarian disease for 10 years. Although she presented classic symptoms of the disease, she was not diagnosed until it had reached stage 3. Realizing first hand that not enough was being done to raise awareness of the disease, she founded the organization to promote information about ovarian cancer and to spare others what her family and she went through.
In 2007 when the campaign started, the guidelines were to display teal ribbons on the trees of willing participants for the month of September. By 2015, Turn The Towns Teal had registrants from all 50 states as well as from Canada and Bermuda.
In the Spring of 2022, Patricia Harris, a longtime resident of Arlington Heights, contacted the Arlington Heights Board of Health and started in motion the process of proclaiming September as Ovarian Cancer Awareness month in this town. The Village Board approved the request and issued the proclamation.
In support of her sister, Marybeth Anderson (former principal of Ivy Hill and Mary Olive Stitt elementary schools), who is currently undergoing treatment for this disease, as well as for countless other women bravely fighting this battle, Harris will be providing teal ribbons to all who wish to participate in Turning Our Town Teal this September. Contact her at pharrislbi@hotmail.com