Awareness
Team: Mission NOT Impossible is a group of dedicated volunteers of the American Cancer Society's East Kendall Relay for Life. To date, Team MNI has raised over $100,000 to fight cancer. In addition to raising money, the team also distributes information to promote awareness of all types of cancer.
Team MNI also sells awareness bracelets to raise money for research and education.Click here for an order form or email us at teamMNI@aol.com.
There are many personal stories of survival and care-giving within the team. For example, Team Captain Sandy Paster is a two-time cancer survivor of ovarian cancer.
Only 15 % of women are familiar with the symptoms of ovarian cancer, yet more than 20,000 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer this year, and more than 15,000 will die from the disease, the most deadly of all women's reproductive cancers. If caught in the early stages, the 5-year survival rate is 90%. However, 75% of women are still diagnosed in the advanced stages when the prognosis is poor.
The National Ovarian Cancer Coalition's slogan is "Ovarian Cancer...It whispers, so listen."
The symptoms of ovarian cancer are subtle and hard to pinpoint because they often mimic more prevalent digestive and gastrointestinal disorders. Common symptoms include persistent swelling, bloating, pressure, or pain in the abdomen, gastointestinal upset and/or frequent urination in the absence of an infection.
Women experiencing at least two to three common ovarian cancer symptoms clustered together that persist for two or more weeks should visit a gynecologist and ask for a rectovaginal exam, transvaginal ultrasound and CA125 blood test. Early detection increases survival rates.