It’s actually a thought that has gone through my mind more than a few times these last few months, but not for the reasons you may think.
Let me elucidate.
Right now, at this very website:http://www.forloveofwoman.com , there is an auction going on for selected photographical works by renown photographer Robert R. Sanders, partial proceeds of which will benefit the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition (http://www.ovarian.org)
Why is this important to me you may ask? Well, for several reasons...
My best friends’ sister died of this disease in her early 30’s, leaving behind 3 young children who will never get to know the amazing woman that she was.
My own mother died at 67, of the “treatment” for Ovarian Cancer in 2005. I phrase it that way for a reason. She fought like hell after she was first diagnosed in 2003. She followed doctors advice and underwent standard radiation protocols. She was even part of a “clinical trial”. At one point during her fight, she was told that her blood work had come back “clean” for cancer markers and that she had “beat it”. She would only need to come back every 6 months for a screening. Much rejoicing ensued. Less than a month later, after complaining to me about stomach pains in a phone call and after I finally was able to convince her to go see her doctor, she was told she was “terminal” and to make her final arrangements. WTF? She came home from her 5 day stay in the hospital -burned from the inside out- due to an error in radiation administration. She hung on to life for another 3 weeks and then passed as she and I were Third Eye to Third Eye. I am grateful I was able to witness/experience her transition and I will never again question the notion of “energy cannot be destroyed, it can only be changed of form”- but I miss her light and her radiance every day, and every day I ask the question “would she have lived longer” if her “treatment” hadn’t gone so terribly awry?
“Modern medicine” has a long way to go before it actually understands and can treat this insidious disease which kills approximately 15,000 woman annually.
Symptoms are vague and can mimic all manner of GI tract difficulties. By the time the body reacts with the noticeable symptom of a “severely bloated stomach”, the disease has usually progressed to the last of the 4 cancer stages. Early detection screening tests for Ovarian Cancer are nonexistent. I know from first hand experience that trying to get answers to the question “might I be next?” is an uphill battle that requires that I educate myself, question and inform my doctors, and do not take “no” for an answer when asking for constant monitoring of “the health of my ovaries”. I know I am incredibly thankful for any and all efforts which seek to promote Ovarian Cancer awareness and so I am- by extension- deeply indebted to Robert R. Sanders, the man with whom I shared an open relationship with for several years, my photographic mentor and dear friend, for partnering with the NOCC in an effort to give Ovarian Cancer a more public profile.
Roberts title piece to promote this show as well as its on-line auction is entitled “Truth” and one of his promotional tag lines is “unwrap the truth about Ovarian Cancer”. It’s such an amazingly appropriate statement, it makes my head swim. Many of us are aware of Breast Cancer due to the organizing efforts of several, tireless groups. It seems to me that once more men started coming forward about also being diagnosed with this disease, awareness efforts doubled. Cervical Cancer too, is getting its name in lights more often these days due mainly to the link between the HP virus and its possible connection to making one more susceptible to Cervical Cancer. HPV is preventible if one follows proper safer sex protocols. Both Breast and Cervical Cancer have recognizable early symptoms as well as tests devoted to early detection, and treatment outcomes are, for the most part, higher in desirable outcomes. Awareness about Ovarian Cancer remains in the shadows of its more celebrated brethren and I applaud any and all efforts to bring it out into the light.
I am posting this note in an effort to get you to visit the auction, view the work, bid on it if it calls to you or forward the above auction link to friends who you feel may be in the market for beautiful art for an amazing cause. Roberts current most staunch supporter and lady love could not have done more to promote this event. It has been blogged about, face booked about, published in events calendars, covered in the local press,
http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/56241/For_Love_of_Woman_photo_exhibit, published on-line http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1yUjah/www.forloveofwoman.com AND she managed to get Robert onto the local news! http://www.news10.net/video/default.aspx?bctid=1128917683001
The more the merrier I say as regards promotion in any form, but most especially if it is to promote a cause as worthy as this one. A woman you are loving right now may be impacted by this disease-now or in the future. Your support of efforts such as this one may help to eventually highlight, treat and eradicate this silent killer of our mothers, sisters and lovers. Please help spread the word. Do it for the love of them. ღ ۵
Ankha
Ⓐ☥Ⓓ
