Gynecologic cancers are near and dear to the hearts of our team members. Ovarian cancer remains the most deadly gynecologic cancer in the United States. There are multiple reasons for this & one of the biggest reasons is that there is no cancer screening that currently exists that can detect this cancer at an early stage. We desperately need something that works as well as mammograms (for breast cancer) or colonoscopies (for colon cancer). Another healthcare disparity that occurs, is women do not end up getting access to a subspecialty team in gynecologic oncology (like us)! We know that women who have their surgery with a non-gynecologic oncologist can do much worse and have less chance for success. One of the absolute BEST parts of our gynecologic oncology field, is that we are the only surgeons that are trained to administer chemotherapy. Most ovarian cancer patients receive a combination of major surgery and chemotherapy, where often their treatment spans about 6+ months. They are then followed closely afterwards. That means our team gets amazing continuity with patients and their families. Many times, it feels like they really are part of our family, too.
Our Park Nicollet Gynecologic Oncology Team will be participating in Teal Strides run/walk for the Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance (MOCA) on Saturday 9/10/2022 as the "Park Nicollet Ova Achievers." This is an annual event that raises money for an organization that does really amazing work. MOCA was formed in 1999 by a group of ovarian cancer survivors and is a statewide non-profit that serves women and families from throughout the upper Midwest. Their mission is to fund research, provide support to women and families, educate the medical community and raise awareness. (MOCA – MN Ovarian Cancer Alliance). They have raised over $9 million (and counting) to directly support researchers. One of our team's favorite things that they do is send a backpack (MOCA Cares Kit) stocked full of supportive items for chemotherapy. They also have many support groups for patients and their family members.
We understand that there are a lot of important causes out there & certainly understand if it does not work to donate to our team, this year. But, if you’d like to help our team reach our fundraising goal, you can make a donation through this page. You can also leave our team messages about why you decided to donate – we would love to hear from you! If you can think of others who might be interested in making a donation, please spread the word.
Most importantly, you can send prayers, well wishes & positive thoughts for all patients that have experienced gynecologic cancer, their families and all the care teams that take care of them. And please encourage women to continue their routine healthcare (including pelvic exams) or "catch up" on their healthcare by scheduling a visit in 2022! All those things are priceless!