Ovarian Cancer -- Miami Valley

[learninboutlife]

Hi, I'm a med student at Wright State -- I'm hoping to put together a 5K run/walk fundraiser to bring about a greater awareness of ovarian cancer and its symptoms and raise money to work and find better screening and a cure. I'm looking for folks in the Dayton, Ohio area who'd be interested in helping some of the students with their input and thoughts to help make this 5K successful. Any thoughts or help would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks so much!!

[Jan214]

To find people who might be most interested in helping you out (I so would if I weren't in Tn & in the middle of chemo) make up some flyers and mail them, or better yet hand deliver them to local gyoncs offices and or cancer centers.  If you hand deliver them you are likely to run into a bunch of women in waiting rooms who might be interested in helping.  Otherwise just mail them and ask the dr to put it near the sign in window.  Ask them specifically to put it there because more people will see it.  If they put it in the chemo room it is likely that it will get overlooked.  Good luck to you and your efforts are appreciaed.
Jan

[learninboutlife]

I just finished my gyn/onc rotation through school and met a bunch of wonderful women with different types of cancer. Those fighting ovarian cancer shared their stories -- and I really thought back on what I've learned -- and I don't feel like we get much exposure to it. And if I'm not aware of it I tend to not think about it as much either. Now that I've realized it's out there, I've become more aware of how many people's lives have been affected by it.

I'll have to consider those other fund raising options -- so many options, not sure which road to start on so right now I'm just trying to find other folks in the community who'd be interested in helping out and adding their ideas too -- since there is no local support group for ovca I'm a little lost as to where to find the people who might be most interested.

Thanks for your ideas!

[Jan214]

I think it is great that you want to do this!  What got you interested in OVCA?
First off forget that run/walk thing.  It has been done to death.  If you really want to raise money; have fun and give people something for their money.  Auction off dates with local celebrities (anchor guys, sports guys, the popular weather guy etc).  Get some local celebrity women to model in a fashion show.  Team up with a local dept store to get the clothes, (preferably with a teal show stopper), charge for tickets to the show and charge women who might want to model in the show with your local celebrities. Have a few prize drawings for those that purchased tickets if that is legal there. Have the best restaurant in town donate 10% of the profits from a friday night (there is at least one restaraunt owner in that town who has a relative that had a gynecological cancer) and than get the mayor to be there.  If you can get his wife into a teal dress...bonus!  Auction off dates with hot future drs from your school.  LOL
There are soooo many great ideas out there, be creative.  Run/walks are just to associated with breast cancer and you need a fresh approach to this.  
My BIL lives in Dayton and my oldest daughter was born @ Akron City? General? something Hospital.  We lived in Cuyahoga Falls at the time.
IF YOU REALLY WANT TO RAISE AWARENESS PLEASE TELL YOUR FUTURE DR FRIENDS THAT A TRANSVAGINAL ULTRASOUND CAN SAVE A LIFE FOR 200 BUCKS.  If all of you future drs do it as routinely as checking a pulse than it will become the norm.  YOU can be the one that is responsible for a whole new generation of drs who order that test.   As my oncologist says, "if I have to have cancer patients, I want them all be stage one".  
I think your screen name says a lot about you and I hope the lessons you have to learn will not be hard ones.  Good luck to you.
Jan