Hello
As March is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month in the UK, in this month’s Health in Focus posts we have been exploring some of the approaches to raising awareness of ovarian cancer, in particular the signs and symptoms. In our previous posts, we’ve looked at the ‘B.E.A.T.’ acronym (healthunlocked.com/ovacome/... and Ovacome’s ‘Survivors Teaching Students’ (healthunlocked.com/ovacome/... and ‘Ovacome at Work’ (healthunlocked.com/ovacome/... programmes. As the month draws to a close, we’d like to let you know about some of the ways that you can raise awareness.
Sharing your story on our website can be a powerful way to help people to remember the symptoms of ovarian cancer and understand more about the experiences of those diagnosed. These are the most popular pages on our website and we know it means so much to members of our community to hear about others’ experiences. We realise that not everyone feels comfortable sharing their story and we’re very grateful to our community members who have volunteered so far. You can read their stories on our website at ovacome.org.uk/Blogs/our-st... and find out how to share an overview of your experience of ovarian cancer or inherited risk, or to share a particular event or ’moment’ which was part of your experience (this could be, for example, your first hospital appointment, speaking to your family about your diagnosis, attending a support group...) at ovacome.org.uk/forms/sharin....
Doing something to raise funds for Ovacome helps us to continue our work supporting people affected by ovarian cancer and also raises awareness. You can read about our fundraisers and the Covid-safe ways they’ve found to raise funds and awareness at ovacome.org.uk/Pages/Fundra.... For fundraising ideas, you can see ovacome.org.uk/Pages/Catego... or contact our Fundraising Team at fundraising@ovacome.org.uk.
We also have a range of free awareness materials, including posters, leaflets and credit-sized cards with information about the symptoms of ovarian cancer and how Ovacome can support those affected. You can hand these out to family and friends or leave them in GP surgeries, pharmacies, libraries and other community spaces, once they are publicly accessible again.
If you would like to order our materials or download graphics that you can post on social media, please visit ovacome.org.uk/b-e-a-t. You can also order printed awareness materials in Polish, Punjabi, Urdu, Bengali, Gujarati and Arabic at ovacome.org.uk/raise-awaren....
You can also raise awareness by ordering Ovacome items from our online shop at ovacome.org.uk/shop. We have a range of Ovacome products such as teal ribbons and Ovacome t-shirts and bracelets, as well as amazing items handcrafted by our community of people affected by ovarian cancer. All proceeds go towards ensuring we can continue our work.
Finally, we’d like to thank all of the members of our ovarian cancer community for all that you do to raise awareness of ovarian cancer, support one another and help us to ensure that no one faces ovarian cancer alone.
If you would like to share your experiences of raising awareness of ovarian cancer, please comment on this post. If there is anything that we can help with, please contact us on 0800 008 7054 or at support@ovacome.org.uk.
Best wishes
Julia
Ovacome Support
Have you helped to raise awareness?
