GRAND Magazine - January/February 2011 - (Page 46)
Talking can
save your life
Getting the word out about
gynecologic cancers
BY DEBBY DONOVAN
W
e have to talk about this! We
can’t afford to feel uncomfortable
or squeamish any longer.
Cervical, ovarian, uterine,
vaginal and vulvar cancers. We
need to get over any sensitivity
about discussing them because
it’s the one way we can immediately
help ourselves and bring
about positive change. Gynecologic
cancers are attacking
women of all ages, and the
best defense we have now is
awareness. You can save your
own life and the lives of your
daughters and granddaughters
by becoming an advocate
for your own good health and
by starting dialogs with all the
women you love.
Up to now, discussing gynecologic
issues has been relegated
to a rather limited inner
circle of our doctors and our
trusted gal pals. The problem
with being discreet, however, is
that accurate information about
gynecologic cancers hasn’t
saturated the population sufficiently
to improve survival
rates.
Think of it this way: A
decade or so ago we didn’t see
NFL football players wearing
pink socks during the month
of October, or bumper stickers
professing Save the Ta-Ta’s, or
46 GRAND
JAN FEB 2011
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GRAND Magazine - January/February 2011