Woman battles stage three ovarian cancer and wins

by Nikki Walters - Seminole Chronicle

OVIEDO - Oviedo resident Marsha Boesch wants to make one thing clear about her battle with ovarian cancer: Her story isn’t typical.

And by not typical she means that she is one of only 30 percent of those diagnosed with late-stage ovarian cancer that survive.

“My particular story is kind of like one of the happy ending stories where this is not typical,” Boesch said.

At age 45, Boesch did everything that women are supposed to do to maintain good health, including annual gynecological check-ups. But despite being relatively young for the disease - women 55 and older are at greater risk - a mass was found on her ovary.

Despite the severe bloating she was experiencing - which is an indicator of ovarian cancer - Boesch didn’t worry. She assumed that it was nothing more than benign fibroids.

Six months later, Boesch was sitting in her doctor’s office in Ohio being told that she had stage 3C ovarian cancer. Stages 3 and 4 are considered late stages, and for Boesch, that meant the cancer had left her ovaries and traveled to other organs, preparing to invade them as well. The C indicated the aggressiveness of the cancer.

She underwent a full hysterectomy, and nine months of chemotherapy and radiation.

Boesch’s late diagnosis is characteristic for the other 1 in 69 women who obtain this deadly disease.

“The major stumbling block is that there is no test, so you have to know the symptoms, which most people don’t,” Boesch said.

While a Pap smear detects cervical cancer, it does nothing to find ovarian cancer. The symptoms to watch out for are bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, difficulty eating or feeling full quickly, urinary symptoms (urgency or frequency), fatigue, indigestion, back pain, pain during intercourse, constipation and menstrual irregularities.

Now, with 10 cancer-free years under her belt, a new life in Oviedo, and a job with the Ovarian Cancer Alliance of Florida, Boesch has become part of the team that is Turning the Town Teal, ovarian cancer’s official color, throughout September in an effort to ensure women are more aware of the disease and take action to catch it early.

“Several different factors collided together to make this event happen,” said Carol Dierkson, OCAF communications director. “September is National Ovarian Cancer Awareness month and a group in New Jersey decided one year they were going to turn their town teal.

“And they were so successful they actually got a call from the White House. So it’s caught on in other cities and this is the first year we’re doing it.” Dierkson said she has gotten proclamations from cities all over Central Florida, including Oviedo. Business owners and residents will be showing their support for ovarian cancer by decorating with big teal bows, holding office fundraisers to donate money to the cause, wearing teal bow pins and passing out information.

In addition to encouraging women to be more aware of the symptoms of the disease, Turn the Town Teal will also encourage women to take more action.

Because the symptoms can be easily confused with symptoms of less serious conditions such as premenstrual or menopausal symptoms, they are easily misinterpreted by not only patients, but doctors, too.

“We hear horror stories all the time from women who have doctors telling them that it’s all in their heads,” Boesch said.

In fact, one of OCAF’s goals over the next year is to reach out to more doctors to make sure they are aware of ovarian cancer’s symptoms and that it’s starting to be found not only in women, but in more young girls.

Knowing these symptoms and being able to spot the cancer early drastically increases chance of survival. In cases where ovarian cancer is detected before it has spread beyond the ovaries, about 93 percent of women will survive for more than five years after diagnosis.

However, only 19 percent of ovarian cancer survivors in the U.S. are diagnosed in the early stages, so for most women, the chance for a five-year survival rate is only 30 percent.

Women who have certain risk factors need to be especially conscious of the symptoms. These risk factors include increased age, never having borne a child, Ashkenazi Jewish descent, or personal or family history of ovarian, breast or colon cancer.

Still, this year’s efforts for Turn the Town Teal are only as good as the number of hands pitching in to help spread the knowledge. While OCAF’s goal is to increase the awareness more and more each year, there is one obstacle they’re working to overcome: the constant need for volunteers.

“Since ovarian cancer is such a deadly disease, we don’t have volunteers because they die,” Dierkson said. “And that’s the reality of it.”

To find out more information about the Ovarian Cancer Alliance of Florida including volunteer information please visit www.ocaf.org.