Caroline has shown her super support for women with ovarian cancer across Romsey and Southampton North.
Not all heroes wear capes, but they do wear Teal.
On Wednesday 6 March, Teal Heroes descended on Westminster to drive forward justice for the 7,500 women diagnosed with ovarian cancer and raise awareness of the disease.
MPs from across the nations donned teal in a special event hosted by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Ovarian Cancer and Target Ovarian Cancer.
Teal is the colour for ovarian cancer awareness, and during March the charity - which provides the secretariat for the APPG - is determined to dispel common misconceptions about the disease. On Wednesday 6 March, the undercover heroes busted myths around parliament highlighting:
- The four main symptoms of ovarian cancer: persistent bloating, abdominal pain,
needing to wee more often and feeling full quickly, which four in five women
do not know
- Cervical screening does not detect ovarian cancer – which 40% of women
wrongly believe
Caroline said: “There are 41,000 women living with ovarian cancer, yet there’s little awareness of the disease. We must improve awareness so that women know the symptoms to look out for, seek help as early as possible and receive the treatment they need. Teal Heroes is just one way to spread awareness, so together we can empower women to see their GP if they notice the symptoms and are concerned.”
Ovarian cancer is the sixth most common cause of cancer deaths amongst women in the UK. With no screening tool, awareness and understanding of the symptoms is imperative to better outcomes.
Sharon Hodgson MP, Chair of the APPG on Ovarian Cancer, said: “Ovarian cancer is the sixth most common cause of cancer deaths amongst women in the UK, and we must change this. Increasing awareness of the symptoms, and ensuring women know the facts from the fiction could lead to improved knowledge, and ultimately earlier diagnosis of the disease. By joining forces with my fellow Teal Heroes in parliament today, I believe we can get the nation talking about ovarian cancer."
Rachel Downing, Head of Policy and Campaigns at Target Ovarian Cancer, said: “It was fantastic to have MPs join us to raise vital awareness of ovarian cancer. We need to see continued funded national symptoms campaigns and we look forward to closely working with MPs to ensure we can make necessary change happen to improve the lives of women living with ovarian cancer.”
Target Ovarian Cancer is calling for national symptoms awareness campaigns, increased education of the disease and support for GPs, and improved access to treatment and support. You can find out more about the charity’s work, and how to support it, at: www.targetovariancancer.org.uk
During Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, the charity is determined to dispel common misconceptions of ovarian cancer. Join Target Ovarian Cancer in raising awareness by downloading the charity’s toolkit: https://targetovariancancer.org.uk/get.../raise-awareness
