The Teal Report - January 2012

Letter from the President

Happy New Year! I hope that you are fresh from holidays spent with family and friends and ready to jump into 2012. We are definitely excited to get things rolling at the OCAO. We have a big year in store and are looking forward to sharing it with all of you!

The Gala Committee is busy planning our first fundraiser of the year. Our 3rd annual gala, "On Wings of Hope" will take place on April 14, 2012 at The Medallion Country Club. It is guaranteed to be a fun-filled evening. Food, live music by The Arnett Howard Band, Live and Silent Auction and our guest host Monica Day of NBC Channel 4...what more could you ask for?! Tickets will go on sale February 1st. If you would like to become a corporate sponsor, donate an item for the live or silent auction or purchase tickets, please go to the "Wings of Hope" event page or contact our gala chairs, Kerri Steininger and Elya Shaffer at gala@ocao.org.

The planning committee for the Strides for Hope 5K will kick things off on March 6, 2012 at the Zangmeister Center at 6:30 PM. Meetings will be held monthly as we plan another big year. Mark your calendar and save the date for September 9, 2012. We will once again be downtown and are looking forward to an even bigger success then last year's race.

Our Awareness and Outreach Committee has another big year planned. They will be meeting the last Thursday of each month to plan activities designed to raise the level of awareness about ovarian cancer within Ohio as well as allow survivors and family members to have a little fun and meet other women walking the same path they are on. The first meeting is January 26th at 6:30 PM at Bev Epps home. For more information, please see our Calendar for current meeting dates and times as well as upcoming Events. Turn Huntington Park Teal and Survivor Day at the Columbus Aquarium and Zoo are just around the corner!

Two conferences are also being planned with our national partner, the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance (OCNA), as well as our sister partner members throughout the country. The first is March 10, 2012 in Indianapolis, Indiana. This conference is the first Midwestern Regional conference to be held and we hope it is the first of many. Registration is currently open and we definitely encourage you to attend. It is a great opportunity to learn what is happening with regard to research, clinical trials, and advocacy as well as meet other survivors. The second conference will be July 14th - July 17th in Washington D.C. We will be offering scholarships to both conferences so stay tuned!

We also have some big media events planned this year. The OCAO will be getting the word out through both radio and TV this year. We are very excited about a new partnership we are entering into with our friends at NBC Channel 4 this summer and we will be sharing the details with you VERY soon.

Thank you again for all of your support throughout 2011 and we look forward to working with you to make a difference in 2012!

-Chris Gillespie

Stiletto Dash to Raise Cash

Faces of Ovarian Cancer Project

Cancer in the News

One of our goals with The Teal Report is to provide up to date, interesting and accurate information with regard to the latest in ovarian cancer research, treatment and general interest stories. We try to keep our eye out for stories that will interest and help you. The OCAO website features such stories on our Cancer in the News page.

If you come across a story that you feel would be beneficial, please contact Asst. Marketing Chair, Amanda Miller at amiller@ocao.org.

MORE ...

Crockpot Chicken Chili

Crockpot recipes are great this time of year and this easy and tasty taco chili is just the ticket to warm your belly on a cold winter night. The recipe is from Weight Watchers so it's healthy for you too!

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 - 16 oz. can of black beans, drained
• 1 - 16 oz. can of kidney beans, drained
• 1 8-oz. can of tomato sauce
• 10 oz. pkg. frozen corn kernels (can substitute 2 cans of corn, drained)
• 2 - 14.5 oz. cans of diced tomatoes with chilies
• 1 packet of taco seasoning
• 1 tbsp. cumin
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 24 oz. (3) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• chili peppers, chopped (optional)
• chopped fresh cilantro
  

Directions:

- Amanda Miller

Sometimes I Still Don't Believe That I Had Cancer - Melissa Garza Boyd

Melissa Garza-Boyd has come a long way since we first met her in September of 2009 at an OCAO program meeting. She had just been diagnosed with Stage IIIB ovarian cancer on August 19, 2009 and like many of the women we meet right after diagnosis, she was still in shock. When we caught up with her again this past year, the shock was gone and the vivacious personality and bright smile were back, along with a great sense of humor and a big laugh.

She met us at the door with a big smile and invited us into her home so she could tell us her story with her fiancé (now husband) Frank by her side. This is her story about her diagnosis, treatment and how it made her relationship with Frank that much stronger.

Melissa was born in Houston, TX and moved to the Columbus area when she was 10 years old. She met Frank when they attended Walnut Ridge High School together, and though they lost touch over the years they met up again and it was a case of being in the right place at the right time. They were married in August of 2010. Melissa has one daughter, Alexandria, from a previous relationship and Frank has two children, Tyler and Ashley. They also have two cats and two dogs and they adore their pets.

Melissa’s diagnosis was a shock, but she was not without symptoms. Like many before her, she attributed many of her symptoms to other things, "I thought my weight gain and ‘pooch’ were just something that happens after you have a child and many of the other symptoms I put off to my regular period.” She also experienced severe heartburn, which could have been attributed to the large size of her tumors, one at 17 pounds and the other ten, because after the surgery, she never had heartburn again.

"Sometimes I still don’t believe that I had cancer, I was so shocked when I found out. I had taken my mom with me to my appointment but when the diagnosis was given, she was speechless and I didn’t ask the doctor any questions,” Melissa said. With the support of Frank, her daughter, family and friends Melissa was able to pull through and completed her last treatment on December 1, 2009. "I wanted to become involved with the OCAO to speak out and share my story because it might help someone; to let them know it is okay to be afraid and overwhelmed.”

Not only was hearing Melissa’s story an honor for us, but so was hearing about what an incredible support Frank was for her during treatment. Attending appointments, shaving her head and making connections with other people in treatment were just a few of the things that Frank did for Melissa. "This disease has definitely made us stronger in supporting each other and living in the moment, cause it could be our last. We make an awesome team.”

Since her diagnosis and treatment, Melissa has been involved with the walks but is hoping to become more involved with the OCAO. When asked what she would want to tell other women about Ovarian Cancer, she said, "It can happen to you no matter what age you are, who knows how long it could have gone on with me, my tumors were the size of soccer balls. I was also 31 at my diagnosis. I was the first person in my family to have cancer and I didn’t know that a pap didn’t test for Ovarian Cancer. I just want to make people aware.” Today she looks at life differently, she doesn’t hold back and she does the things she wants to do. She also has advice for women who have just begun their treatment. First, "Water, water, water!” Drink lots of water”. Second, "get up and do things even if you don’t feel like getting out of bed, even if it is just taking a shower, it is good to have that movement.” And finally, she talked about ports. She didn’t get during her treatment, but her veins are bad after all of the IVs she had during her chemo infusions so she recommends women consider talking about getting one during treatment.

Books! Books! Books!

We have two very different books for you this month. Hopefully one of them will find its way into your reading list! As always, please feel free to submit your ideas and reviews on books you have read.

" Heaven is for Real" by Todd Burpo

A young boy emerges from life-saving surgery with remarkable stories of his visit to heaven.

" Heaven Is for Real ” by Todd Burpo, a small town Nebraska pastor, is the true story of his four-year old son who during emergency surgery slips from consciousness and enters heaven. He survives and begins talking about being able to look down and see the doctor operating and his dad praying in the waiting room. The family didn't know what to believe but soon the evidence was clear.

Colton said he met his miscarried sister, whom no one had told him about, and his great grandfather who died 30 years before Colton was born, then shared impossible-to-know details about each. He describes the horse that only Jesus could ride, about how "reaaally big" God and his chair are, and how the Holy Spirit "shoots down power" from heaven to help us.

Told by the father, but often in Colton's own words, the disarmingly simple message is heaven is a real place, Jesus really loves children, and be ready, there is a coming last battle.

" Death Comes to Pemberley " by P. D. James

Writing under the name P.D. James, Phyllis Dorothy James is one of Britain’s most prolific mystery writers. Her books don’t dwell in gore, they are focused in the traditional format of the " Whodunit ” where the development of characters are prized and the storyline unfolds slowly and forces the reader to really think about it. Her latest release, " Death Comes to Pemberley ” is no exception.

Set in 1803, James pulls from Jane Austen’s "Pride and Prejudice” for her character line up. Elizabeth and Darcy have embarked on their life together. Elizabeth finally feels like the lady of the house and they have brought 2 sons into the world, Fitzwilliam and Charles. With her sister Jane and her husband living nearby, visits from her father and youngest sister Georgiana may finally get married, preparations are underway for the annual autumn ball.

This peaceful and happy life is shattered when Elizabeth’s disgraced sister Lydia arrives claiming that her husband Wickham has been murdered. And with that, Pemberley is thrown into a murder mystery. Now the question is..”whodunit and why”? Excellent reading for traditional murder mystery and Jane Austen fans!