MEMBER for Macquarie Susan Templeman and the Labor Party pledged $12 million for Ovarian Cancer Australia to help them fund their work into innovative treatments and further research on Tuesday, February 6.
Ovarian Cancer is the deadliest women’s cancer and each day in Australia, four women will be diagnosed with it and three women will die from it, with no breakthroughs in cures having occurred over the past 30 years.
The unforgiving nature of Ovarian Cancer is something that Ms Templeman has said is a topic that needs to be publically discussed.
“You don’t often have women in Parliament talking about abdominal bloating, pelvic pain or the need to urinate often, but it’s time we talked about it more,” she said.
Talking openly at Parliament House Ms Templeman was joined by former colleague Jill Emberson, a Newcastle ABC presenter, who is currently undergoing treatment for ovarian cancer and who shared her experiences of the disease with the audience at an Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month event.
Raising awareness about the diease amongst all women is at the heart of Ovarian Cancer Australia’s action plan and why February has been designated as the month to discuss what the disease is and does, and to encourage females to be tested or seek a second opinion if they are unsure of their doctor’s diagnosis of unexplained symptoms.
The importance of knowing Ovarian Cancers symptoms of abdominal or pelvic pain, persistent abdominal bloating, needing to urinate often or urgently and feeling full after eating a small amount, is information that Ms Templeman wants women to familiarising themselves with.
“The main thing a woman can do is to know the symptoms of ovarian cancer, because despite popular belief, it is not a silent disease,” she said.
To learn more about Ovarian Cancer or to find out how you can support Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month visit the Ovarian Cancer Australia website as “It’s time for action”.
