Sept. named ovarian cancer month
CRANBERRY TWP — Susan Evans has devoted her life to bringing awareness and funds for a disease that threatened her life.
Thanks to her work, September has been designated as Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month throughout the state
Resolutions were passed by the Legislature over the summer approving the designation.
“The more people become aware of ovarian cancer, or any cancer for that matter, something will be done,” Evans said.
Evans, a native of Ross Township in Allegheny County, is also being recognized by her home city for her work. Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto will issue a proclamation Tuesday recognizing Evans for her efforts to bring about more public awareness of the disease that kills more than 14,000 women each year.
“Susan's story and her strength are inspiring, and Mayor Peduto was honored to play a small role in celebrating her work,” said Timothy McNulty, communications director for the mayor's office.
Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer deaths among women and the eighth most common cancer in women. A woman's risk of being diagnosed with ovarian cancer during her lifetime is 1 in 75, according to the American Cancer Society.
Evans of Cranberry said her goal this year was to get the cancer recognized at a state level. So she contacted her representatives about getting a day to recognize ovarian cancer.
The legislators wanted to do her one better and they moved to recognize the entire month of September as Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month throughout the state to line up with the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition's month of recognition.
“It gets the word out which is very, very important because nobody talks about this,” Evans said. “It makes people more aware of this disease. Hopefully people will donate to different organizations that support this. Hopefully women will become more aware of this.”
Evans was diagnosed in 2012 with ovarian cancer after having a swollen ankle, not a known symptom of the cancer. The swollen ankle was caused by blood clots from a 2½-pound tumor inside her body that turned out to be stage 3 ovarian cancer.
Evans has been in remission for about five years after having the tumor removed and going through chemotherapy. But she was alarmed at how little is known publicly about ovarian cancer — and how no screening tests exist to find risk factors or early symptom of the disease.
Ovarian cancer is known as the silent killer because it often is not detected until symptoms occur in advanced stages of the disease, Evans said.
Early detection of the cancer improves chances of survival, but only about 19 percent of ovarian cancers are detected at an early stage, according to the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition.
In addition to her work raising public awareness, Evans also started the Evans-Krivak Gynecological Cancer Research and Education Fund named after her doctor, Dr. Tom Krivak, who has been with her throughout her battle with cancer.
All money from sales of her memoir, “Don't Write the Obituary Yet,” go to the fund that funds ovarian cancer research and educational programs.
Her hope is that a definitive early screening test can be created for ovarian cancer to increase the chances of survival for women.
“I hope for something good,” Evans said.
To donate to Evans' fund, visit https://pittsburghfoundation.org/node/27384.
