In The News
WOCA on The Morning Blend

Visit The Morning Blend's website here to view the show.

WOCA on Fox 6 News
Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel Special Insert

On August 28, 2011 the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ran a special insert dedicated to ovarian cancer awareness and spotlighting WOCA.

Click here to view the insert in PDF form.

2011 Brewer Game Honorary Pitcher

Barron native Kate Vruwink will throw out the honorary first pitch Saturday at Miller Park in Milwaukee as the Brewers host the Houston Astros.

Vruwink, an ovarian cancer survivor, will be attending the game with a large contingent of friends and family from the Barron area as part of an ovarian cancer awareness event promoted by the Wisconsin Ovarian Cancer Alliance. In total, over 400 people will be attending the game with the alliance, with about 170 taking part in a pre-game tailgate party.

Sandi Wagner of the Wisconsin Ovarian Cancer Alliance contacted the Vruwinks with the news just last week.

"The people from your area have been so supportive of the event for years," Wagner said. "Kate is a young survivor and we're trying to send a message that this is not just an older woman's disease the way it always is depicted. Our board thought that Kate would be a great candidate."

The alliance's board pitched the idea to the Brewers, who were happy to accommodate. The team is expecting a near sellout crowd of 43,000 at Saturday's game.

"I was very surprised to get the phone call, it will be a lot of fun," Kate said. She was first diagnosed with cancer in February of 2009.

"I'm currently in remission, but we know it will come back." Kate said. "At this point it's not curable."

Kate and her husband Mark both grew up in Barron and graduated from BHS, Kate in 1996 and Mark in 1989. They now live in Cameron with their son Regan, 6, and 4-year-old daughter Rylin.

While Kate and Mark will be traveling to the game on the bus, their children will ride to the game with Kate's father, Rod Gardner.

"They get to go on the field with me," Kate said. "We have been practicing in the yard."

Flight For Life Donation

On Monday, April 18th, members of the Wisconsin Ovarian Cancer Alliance visited the Flight For Life Waukesha/Milwaukee base for a tour. They were presented with a check for $2,856.00 which was raised by the sale of Pink Heal items from the base. Some of the funds will be used to provide massages to survivors who participate in Nancy's Run, Rock n Stroll on September 17th at Greenfield Park in Milwaukee, and part of the money will be used at Turn Miller Park Teal on July 30th by providing parking to Ovarian Cancer survivors who attend the Brewers vs Astros game.

Read the full article and view more pictures here.

Visit to the Research Laboratory

On October 25, 2010, Dr. Joseph Connor (Gynecologic Oncologist at UW Hospital & Clinics) spoke to a few legislators, ovarian cancer survivors, and members of the Board of Directors for the Wisconsin Ovarian Cancer Alliance (WOCA) during breakfast at the Capitol Building in Madison, Wisconsin. Dr. Connor spoke about his research in improving the clinical use of the CA-125 blood test for ovarian cancer. One of the survivors, Joan Weiss, recalled Dr. Connor saying that for the past 25 years, researchers have not really understood what the test measured, but there was some sort of correlation between it and the prevalence of ovarian cancer. Now, researchers were getting close to understanding how CA-125 functions in detecting ovarian cancer.

As a result of that meeting, Dr. Connor's research partner, Dr. Manish Patankar, invited Joan and five other ovarian cancer survivors to the research laboratory where physicians and scientists were working on gynecologic cancer research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Patankar met the survivors on December 18, 2010, at the entrance of the UW Hospital & Clinics, gave them a brief update on the ovarian cancer research going on the Clinical Sciences Center, explained the CA-125 blood test, and described his project that won an award from the Department of Defense Ovarian Cancer Research Program in November. After listening to Dr. Patankar, the ovarian cancer survivors met one of the Gynecologic Oncology Fellows, Dr. Mian Shahzad, and a scientist, Dr. Arvinder Kapur. They accompanied the survivors from the conference room to the laboratory and introduced them to Dr. Chanel Tyler who works with women having high-risk pregnancies. The ovarian cancer survivors saw endometrial cancer cells and ovarian cancer cells under the microscope. They witnessed the results of Dr. Shahzad"s experiment where he put clusters of ovarian cancer cells stained purple on a palette and treated them with various concentrations of Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA), which is found in beef and dairy products. The cells treated with higher concentrations of CLA turned clear. Whereas, the cells treated with lower concentrations of CLA remained purple. This indicated that higher concentrations of CLA were "eating up" the cancer cells

The ovarian cancer survivors left the laboratory with a better understanding of the disease that had invaded their bodies. They gained an appreciation of the amazing discoveries that dedicated researchers are currently working on in combating gynecologic cancers. The survivors felt privileged to meet these wonderful scientists who are working behind the scenes on their behalf. The incredible knowledge of these researchers made the ovarian cancer survivors want to share the news with others, invite other survivors to experience what they had seen and heard, and contribute in any way they could to this groundbreaking medical research. Perhaps other visits to the research laboratory for gynecologic cancer survivors could be made possible with the permission of the administrators at the gynecologic oncology division of the UW Hospital & Clinics.

Note: Third person is used to protect the identity of some of the ovarian cancer survivors.

The Department of Defense Ovarian Cancer Research Program

The Department of Defense Ovarian Cancer Research Program (OCRP) has announced the winners of the Pilot Awards. We are proud to share the news that one of the winners is Manish Patankar who is with the University of Madison. His project is to Identify ovarian cancer specific biomarkers in white blood cells and measure their levels to determine which specific biomarker is present in them.

September 2010 Recap

What happens in Wisconsin after September 2010??? Start planning for September 2011!!!!!

What an amazing September, 2010 in Wisconsin!!! It was the 3rd annual "Turn the Towns Teal". This is what it took to make it happen.

  • Over 2,500 households were mailed white and Teal ribbons to be displayed at their homes to raise awareness of ovarian cancer.
  • Governor Jim Doyle declared September Ovarian Cancer Awareness month. The Mayors of multiple cities and towns throughout Wisconsin joined him including the two largest cities, Milwaukee and Madison (the state capitol).
  • WOCA ambassadors made sure that their contacts at hospitals and clinics had plenty of Turn the Towns Teal posters and ribbons to spread the ovarian cancer message.
  • Everyone encouraged friends and families to wear Teal on September 3rd, National Teal Day.
  • Kopp's Frozen Custard sold a special Teal ice cream on September 3rd, and collected money for WOCA at the Brookfield location.
  • 400 survivors and their friends and families turned out to Turn Miller Park Teal on September 11th. This was accomplished by wearing Teal shirts that listed the symptoms on the back. The survivors wore white shirts with Teal lettering. An ovarian cancer survivor, Katie Fetzer, threw out a first pitch, the Turn the Towns Teal poster was displayed on the "jumbotron", and the racing sausages (a Milwaukee thing!!) ran through a Teal ribbon at the end of the race.
  • Survivors managed booths at fairs in Madison and Racine to promote September as Ovarian Cancer Awareness month.
  • A survivor in Whitewater had a tea party to raise money for WOCA and to raise awareness.
  • Watertown and Whitewater decorated their main street with Teal ribbons.
  • On September 7th Sandi Wagner and Kelli Zembruski were on the MorningBlend to talk about ovarian cancer, the symptoms, and promote "Turn the Towns Teal" and "Nancy's Run, Rock N Stroll".
  • On September 11th Kelli Zembruski was on the radio, The Big Buck Country, talking about ovarian cancer, the signs and symptoms, "Turn the Towns Teal" "Nancy's Run, Rock N Stroll" and September being ovarian cancer awareness month.

    On September 12th this was also broadcasted on WJYI-JOY, WKLH, THE HOG-WHQG and WJMR-JAMMIN.
  • The Pendleton Store at Hilldale Mall in Madison had a "teal" fashion show. Ten percent of all sales made between 5PM and 9PM on September 16th were donated to WOCA.
  • Approximately 700 participants ran and walked in WOCA's 5th annual "Nancy's Run Rock N Stroll" at Greenfield Park on September 18th. Click here for pictures from the event. For additional pictures and information see nancysrun.weebly.com
  • Also on September 18th there was a motorcycle ride, Shatter the Silence, which started in Barron and ended in Clear Lake, a 120 mile ride through beautiful mid-west Wisconsin.
  • On September 26th the Goat gave back. Folks who enjoyed food and drink helped the Alliance. Horny Goat Hideaway donated 10% of the sales between 11AM and 5PM.

Relay for Life

Relay for Life was held on August 13th in Watertown, WI. The featured speakers at the event were Michele Caudle, ovarian cancer survivor whose husband joined the Army in order to have medical coverage and Dr. Peter Johnson, Gynecologic Oncologist at Aurora's Women's Pavilion.

2010 Survivors' Brunch

May 2, 2010 was a morning of sharing courageous stories, valuable information and delicious food at the Wisconsin Ovarian Cancer Alliance's 4th Annual Survivors' Brunch at Westmoor Country Club in Brookfield, Wisconsin. Click here for a recap and pictures of the event.

Faces of Hope

Gail Foreman speaks with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel regarding her triumph over ovarian cancer. Click here to read the complete story.

Family revives Night of Wines for Rose

Rosemarie Wiatrowski-Travis passed away from ovarian cancer a year ago. To honor her memory, her family is reviving the Night of Wines for Rose, and raising money for WOCA. Click here to read the complete story.

Risk Assessment Test for Ovarian Cancer

The Ovarian Cancer National Alliance believes it is important to inform the community of the following information:

A new risk assessment test for ovarian cancer, OVA1, is now available. Vermillion's OVA1 test, available only through Quest Diagnostics, Inc., is the first blood test approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to help physicians determine the likelihood that a woman's ovarian mass is cancerous or not, prior to a planned surgery.

OVA1 measures the levels of five protein biomarkers in a woman's blood to determine the likelihood of cancer. Approximately 20 percent of women with pelvic masses have cancer, but the proportion rises with age.

The results of the test may help a physician decide the type of surgeon who should operate on a patient with a pelvic mass. Data shows that women with ovarian cancer who have their surgeries performed by a gynecologic oncologist fare better, however many women have their initial surgery performed by a gynecologist.

OVA1 is not a screening test for ovarian cancer. A physician should use the test along with clinical exams and other tests.

For more information, refer to: www.QuestDiagnostics.com/womenscancers.html

Ovarian cancer tales warn of delayed diagnosis

Patients open up to medical students
By Mark Johnson of the Journal Sentinel, Posted: Sept. 20, 2009, Click here to read the article.

The Ovarian Cancer National Alliance Invited to Testify on Capitol Hill

The Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Considers Funding for the Department of Defense Ovarian Cancer Research Program for FY2010

Thursday, June 24, 2009 (WASHINGTON, DC): Last week, the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance testified before the United States Senate Committee on Appropriations, Defense Subcommittee, to request $30 million for fiscal year 2010 for the Department of Defense (DoD) Ovarian Cancer Research Program. Cara Tenenbaum, Senior Policy Director for the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance, spoke on behalf of the ovarian cancer community and asked for an increase in funding because this is the only federal program that has the stated purpose of conquering this disease.

Since 1997, the Ovarian Cancer Research Program has received millions of dollars each year to fulfill its goal of eliminating ovarian cancer by stimulating and supporting innovative, multidisciplinary research efforts that will lead to better understanding, detection, diagnosis, prevention and control of ovarian cancer. The program uses a two-tier peer review system, including patient advocates in both levels of review. Reviews are made not only on scientific rigor, but on the impact the proposed research will have on the disease and patients. Much of this research has been published, patented and granted further federal funding by the National Cancer Institute and/or gone into commercial development.

"Last year, the Ovarian Cancer Research Program received $20 million, the largest amount ever appropriated to the Ovarian Cancer Research Program by the Committee. The size of the appropriation demonstrated the government's strong commitment to fight this deadly disease," said Tenenbaum. "However, this year we asked for an additional $10 million because so much more work must be done in order to eliminate this disease."

Some of the DoD program accomplishments to date include:

  • * Discovery of biomarkers that predict survival
  • * Discovery of the type of cells that control ovarian cancer
  • * Understanding platinum drug uptake, which will be used to address chemotherapy resistance

The review board of the Ovarian Cancer Research Program meets annually to evaluate the science and determine funding priorities for the following year. This review, along with input from patient advocates and leading researchers, allows the review board to identify gaps in current research that need more funding.

"This program provides early funding, much like venture capital, particularly for new and emerging researchers, to encourage innovative exploration into ovarian cancer that will help move us toward the goal of bringing an end to this dreadful disease," said Karen Orloff Kaplan, Chief Executive Officer of the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance. "We were asked to provide testimony at the DoD hearing because our organization is the leading advocate on ovarian cancer for the country."

>> Click here for a copy of Ms. Tenenbaum's testimony (PDF).

>> Click here for a copy of the Dear Colleague letter to see if your Senators support funding the program (PDF).

For additional questions about today's hearing, please contact Cara Tenenbaum, Senior Policy Director for Ovarian Cancer National Alliance, by email at ctenenbaum@ovariancancer.org or phone at 202.331.1332.

About the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance: Established in 1997, the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance is the foremost advocate for ovarian cancer in the United States. The Ovarian Cancer National Alliance, a 501(c)(3) organization, leads the national initiative to conquer ovarian cancer. We unite individuals and organizations at the local, state, and national levels to advance ovarian cancer research, improve health care practices, and help raise public awareness of the symptoms about ovarian cancer.www.ovariancancer.org

Thank you for your support!


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