Turn Teal Natchitoches, a local ovarian cancer awareness group, will present an educational and fund raising event in the Parish Hall at Trinity Episcopal Church, beginning at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 30. The event is part of Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, commemorated throughout September. Teal is the internationally recognized color used to promote awareness of ovarian cancer and its symptoms.
‘We will be offering to paint fingernails teal for a small donation that will go towards ovarian cancer research. We will also have educational materials available for those interested in learning more about what is known as the silent killer of women,’ said Leah Lentz, organizer of Turn Teal Natchitoches.
Ovarian cancer is the eighth most common cancer in women, excluding skin cancer. It is the fifth leading cause of cancer death in women. Statistics show that a woman's risk of getting ovarian cancer during her lifetime is about one in 67. The risk of getting this cancer and dying from it is one in 95.
Lentz began the local Turn Teal Initiative in honor of her mother, Sue Gregory Coleman, a cancer patient.
For more information or to volunteer, contact Lentz at llentz@lsmsa.edu or visit Facebook.com/TurnTealNatchitoches. Information on the international initiative to fight ovarian cancer is available through the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition at ovarian.org.