The strongest woman I know
my friend Samantha
My friend Samantha is the strongest woman I know.
Bar none.
She rides her bike to work every day, even through the biting cold Philadelphia winters. She yells at idiot drivers when they don't see her in traffic. She demands to be seen. She's 5'3" and full of fire.
She's got a great career and is constantly working to improve herself. She earnestly fights to keep her work and personal lives separate. I really wonder if I'd recognize her in a business suit, but I'd love to be a fly on the wall in some of her meetings so I could learn from her.
She's got a love life that everyone should be jealous of. She found her soulmate. They connect. They love. They are perfect for each other.
| Know the Symptoms. Save a life. http://ovariancancer.jhmi.edu |
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Until there is a test, awareness is our best defence against ovarian cancer.
Signs and Symptoms of Ovarian Cancer
Take action. Consult a healthcare professional if any symptoms persist for 2-3 weeks and are unusual for you. Experts recommend a pelvic/rectal exam, a transvaginal ultrasound, and a CA125 test. Pap smears test only cervical cancer. |
It's not easy for her to put herself out there. To put herself in front of a crowd of people and proclaim herself to be a survivor. To talk about her diagnosis, her treatment, about the symptoms to look for. But she does it because ovarian cancer has so few survivors. She does it to save other women's lives. She does it to save her own life. The more awareness that is brought to ovarian cancer, the more money that will go to researchers. With research money comes grants, the ability to diagnose ovarian cancer, and the ability to treat it.
Sam was diagnosed with ovarian cancer again last week. But because she knows herself, because she knows the symptoms, and because she had her surgery performed by a gynecological oncologist, they caught the cancer at stage 1A. It's almost unheard of to catch ovarian cancer so early, and with that news, it also gives her an over 90% cure rate.
Sam is a survivor. The next few months are going to test her. She's going to undergo chemotherapy, she's going to lose her hair, she's going to deal with a lot of stuff that no one should have to endure, let alone do it twice. But Sam is a surivor, and the strongest woman I know.
Re: The strongest woman I know
Several people have said it helped them and was therapeutic to read another person's experiences. Tell her to read them in reverse order to get the correct timing ofmy journey. Take care and just be there for your friend when she needs your love and support.