Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Alliance promotes ovarian cancer awareness
River Valley Ovarian Cancer Alliance (RVOCA) Sponsorship Chairman for Teal Night in Tahiti and active member Day job: Home care consultant for Home Instead Senior Care
Tell us about your organization: We were founded and work to promote awareness and education about the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer.
■ Mission: Educate the community and healthcare professionals regarding the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer. It is a “silent killer.”
■ Services provided:
Support group with licensed facilitator, monthly awareness meetings to plan awareness events and educational opportunities to promote awareness, gas cards to ovarian cancer survivors in treatment, emergency patient fund to help with extra expenses such as rent and utilities and survivors on hand to talk with patients and families
Stephen Lasseigne and his daughter, Stella, release butterflies at a previous Arkansas Ovarian Cancer Coalition Survivor Luncheon. as needed.
■ Service area: Western Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma.
■ Average number of people served annually: Really hard to answer since we are just a group of volunteers and don’t have an office to manage.
Why do you work or volunteer for a nonprofit organization? Do you have a personal connection to the mission? If so, what is it? I had a neighbor that died of OC approximately 15 years ago. She was misdiagnosed as many OC ladies are, and I wanted to help get awareness out since there is no diagnostic test of OC.
What part of your job fills the most of your time? Planning events that will attract people in the community to attend so we can share our information. Our big yearly fundraiser, Teal Night in Tahiti, is in its eighth year, and I have been chairman and a working member of the committee every year since joining River Valley Ovarian Cancer Alliance in 2007.
What have you learned on the job that you didn’t expect? That getting to know so many wonderful ladies who have died would leave such a lasting impact on my life and make me want to do even more to spread the word of awareness.
What challenges face your organization? Overcoming myths — most people believe their Pap smear detects all female cancers. The Pap smear only tests for uterine and cervical — there is not a test for ovarian. Women must pay attention to the signs and symptoms listed on our handouts and on our website rivervalleyoca.com.
Are there volunteer opportunities in your organization? What are they? Get involved with our group that meets the first Tuesday of every month, check out our website for upcoming events, attend and take brochures and symptom cards back to all the women in your life.
What upcoming fundraisers and/or other events does your organization have planned? Besides Teal Night In Tahiti on Aug. 17, this year we will be doing our annual “Turn the Towns Teal,” which is tying teal ribbons all over the River Valley towns, Sallisaw, Okla., and both hospital campus areas of Mercy and Baptist hospitals in Fort Smith and Van Buren. September is National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, and we will also hold a butterfly release, which is a family event, again this year. We do as many health fairs as possible if we have volunteers to man the tables throughout the year.