Nine years ago my mom was diagnosed with late stage ovarian cancer -- a devastating diagnosis as the survival rate numbers for late stage ovarian cancer are….low.  It was a year after losing my sister, and honestly, its a time of my life that is very hard to even think about. Despite the poor odds, my mom is still with us today…we are one of the lucky ones!

 

We now know I'm now far more likely to develop ovarian cancer yet there is no reliable screening test for ovarian cancer. There is a huge difference in survival rate with an early diagnosis, yet more than 80% of ovarian cancer diagnoses are late stage. Studies show that women have had the disease for more than 24 months and met with more than 4 doctors prior to their diagnosis!  This is because the symptoms "whisper", aka they are vague and easily ignored/misunderstood. 

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Thus the MAT Designation for physicians was born. Designed by Dr. Elena Ratner, the Director of Yale's Ovarian Cancer Early Detection Program, the designation is rigorous curriculum focused on training the medical community at large to recognize symptoms and focus on early detection. The mission is to significantly reduce the time between initial symptoms and diagnosis. 

 

Greenwich, Stamford, Yale, and the NewYork Presbyterian Hospital systems believe in this program and have committed to it. Greenwich doctors are currently taking the designation, and NewYork Presbyterian is requiring it for all of their doctors across more than 10 hospitals! 

 

On the evening of September 17th, we will be doing our first fundraiser for MAT– “Cycle for Superwoman – the ride to beat Ovarian Cancer”.  Proceeds from the fundraiser will help us digitize the MAT curriculum so that  doctors outside of Greenwich, Stamford and NYC can take it as well.  

 

I encourage you to read the story of my friend, Diane Powis, who spent a year fighting to find out what was wrong with her before finally receiving a late stage ovarian cancer diagnosis.  Diane's story demonstrates how essential it is for all doctors to be versed on the "whispers" of ovarian cancer.

 

I hope you consider donating to this cause so important to me.  We all have so many causes important to us, but know that every amount counts!  

 

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for anything you can do to help support my ride in honor of my mom's battle, Diane's current fight, my desire to protect my health and my family, and to all the women that lose their lives to this devastating disease every year.