Ovarian cancer awareness month? how silly!

And by that I mean how silly that it's only ONE month - we need to be aware of the symptoms of ovarian cancer ALL YEAR. All the time.

I have been pretty busy - did the first training ride for the Nightrider a few weeks back - 36 miles. Nearly had a heart attack! Started serious training today with an 11 mile round trip to the Turf Locks. Much more sensible! So, we've started, now we'll get out as much as possible and build up to the 100km in June. Boom boom!

It's been an excellent month for us as far as 'Getting the Word About' goes. I was on Sky News, looking rather demented I might add, but it seems I got the message across ok. Live TV? Shriek! It's quite scary and I so admire all those women who manage to look so fab and so calm! I am NOT posting the footage! I spent the whole interview squinting!

Julie was in our local paper, the Express & Echo, at the launch of a £10m collaboration between Cancer Research UK and Tesco.

Ovarian Cancer Action were chosen as the 'Vitality' shows 2012 beneficiary charity at Earl's Court. The Vitality Show is the UK's largest health, beauty, fitness and wellbeing event for women. Featuring VIP makeovers, hair and massage experiences, free cooking demos, health advice, free fitness classes and seminars, etc.etc. A big event - let's hope it raised lots of money for research.

Ovacome teamed up with OPI to launch Teal Tips: an initiative to encourage women to wear teal coloured nail polish and prompt awareness of the fourth most common cancer affecting women in the UK. Teal is the recognised colour for ovarian cancer.
OPI and Ovacome hope that by wearing the polish, women will get their friends and colleagues talking about the disease and its symptoms.
OPI’s UK distributor, Lena White, is donating £1 to Ovacome for each bottle of its Ski Teal We Drop shade. It sells during March in upmarket outlets such as Harrods, Selfridges and John Lewis as well as salons and spas throughout the country. RESULT!

This weekend the article came out in the You magazine in the Mail on Sunday, featuring Yours Truly and two other women who have had ovarian cancer - quite a few of the facts were muddled - the 400km cycle became a 240km cycle [all the cycle girls would have loved that!] and I am now 48, which is excellent! Two extra years, gratis!

Friends have remarked that this article has been commented on by women they know, so another good result. The more women who KNOW the symptoms of ovarian cancer, the better. For those we've lost and those still to be diagnosed, this is so important.

And, imagine this! This morning I had a call from Ovarian Cancer Action about appearing on 'Lorraine' next week Tuesday, followed by another call from a lovely woman who works with the program, to try and arrange things.
This is a terrestrial TV program on ITV! Massive audience of mainly WOMEN for this program - yippee! It's not 100% definite, as TV people change things last minute, but so far, so good. I am nervous of course, but what a fabulous opportunity to get info out there - well impressed :) The FH will be coming with me to London, and it should be an interesting day all round. So fingers crossed it comes off.

One last thing - see the BEAT tracker. Just for info. And, if any of you would like to help me raise money for research into Ovarian, Cervical and Breast cancers, please donate here?
Thank you very much. The smallest amount makes all the difference to women diagnosed in the future, and women who have recurrence...we desperately need more funding for research.
It has been estimated that the lifetime risk of developing ovarian cancer [in 2008] is 1 in 54 for women in the UK.
ONE in FIFTY FOUR!!

Please help if you can?