The City of Lewes plans to participate in the national campaign to create awareness of ovarian cancer and its symptoms next month.
This is the seventh year the City of Lewes will join “Turn the Towns Teal.” The city will tie ribbons to light poles in the historic business district on Friday Sept. 2, 2022.
Henrietta Belcher-Stack is with the Delaware Ovarian Cancer Foundation - and she's a cancer survivor.
“Ironically on Sept. 1, in 2011 I was diagnosed with (Stage 4) ovarian cancer. But my particular ovarian cancer was very unique - I didn’t have any ovaries," she said. "And when I had the total hysterectomy there was no cancer present at all. But they found that that cancer cell had metastasized and it had attached itself to my entire peritoneal cavity and several organs.”
Belcher-Stack says it’s important to spread the word that even if women have a hysterectomy, 2% can still contract ovarian cancer.
She notes that her only symptom was a pain in her side, which she initially ignored because she thought it was from picking up her grandchildren.
Once she was diagnosed, she began aggressive treatment immediately and has now been cancer free for 11 years.
Besides tying ribbons to light poles, Lewes residents are encouraged to tie teal ribbons to their mailboxes next month and wear teal clothing.
September is National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.
Each year, more than 22,000 new cases of ovarian cancer are diagnosed in the United States, resulting in over 14,000 deaths.
