September designated 'Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month' in Pa.

Gwen Kordalski

The House unanimously adopted my resolution (H.R. 640) designating September 2008 as "Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania. I offered this resolution in memory of my aunt Gwen Kordalski who passed away in December 2005 after a three-and-one-half-year battle with ovarian cancer.

It is my hope that this resolution will serve to support women struggling with the disease and raise awareness.

Ovarian cancer ranks in the top five causes of cancer deaths among women in the United States, partly because it usually is not diagnosed until it is in its late stages. However, according to the American Cancer Society, nine out of 10 women in the United States treated early for ovarian cancer will live longer than five years after the cancer is found.

Your chances of beating ovarian cancer are better if the cancer is found early. Until recently, doctors thought that early-stage ovarian cancer rarely produced any symptoms, but new evidence has shown that most women may have signs and symptoms even in the early stages of the disease.

For more information, local support or to get involved in fighting ovarian cancer, please contact the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition in Pittsburgh.