“I am not angry about having ovarian cancer. I am angry that I did not know sooner so I could have a fighting chance.” – Tina Brozman, 1952-2007
Did you know there is currently no reliable early-detection screen for ovarian cancer? Known for its subtle and often-overlooked symptoms, ovarian cancer is the deadliest gynecologic cancer, with 80 percent of cases diagnosed at an advanced stage — when treatment options are limited and the five-year survival rate is only 27 percent. When diagnosed in Stage 1, the five-year survival rate is over 90 percent.
Symptoms of ovarian cancer, such as bloating, fatigue and abdominal pain, are experienced by many women on a day-to-day basis, and can be easily overlooked or dismissed, attributed to other issues such as IBS, PMS or simply stress. This allows ovarian cancer to metastasize, undetected, to stages where treatment is more limited and far less effective.
While mammograms, colonoscopies and Pap smears help detect other cancers early enough for effective treatment, no such screen exists for ovarian cancer. Therefore, it is critical to develop a diagnostic method that can detect this devastating disease at earlier stages. Know Early. Know Hope. This is the mission of Tina’s Wish.
Tina’s Wish was founded in memory of the Honorable Tina Brozman, former chief judge of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, SDNY, who passed away two years after she was diagnosed too late with ovarian cancer. Knowing it was too late to affect her own survival, Tina nevertheless undertook the critical and selfless work of saving the lives of others by laying the groundwork for the ovarian cancer research and awareness foundation that bears her name.
Tina’s Wish is a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding innovative scientific research for the early detection and prevention of ovarian cancer and to providing critical gynecologic health education. Since 2008, Tina’s Wish has raised over $29 million for its cause and has reached over 300,000 individuals through its education and awareness initiatives. Annually, Tina’s Wish now funds $2.4 million for critical scientific research.
In the absence of an effective early-detection screen, Tina’s Wish spreads education and awareness through its podcast, What to Know Down Below. Gynecologic health can feel like a taboo topic and is sometimes embarrassing to discuss for many women. Covering a range of critical gynecologic health topics, from ovarian cancer to uterine fibroids and family health history, What to Know Down Below aims to fight back against this stigma, start conversations, and cultivate a safe and fun environment where women can gain the knowledge and tools needed to advocate for their own gynecologic health. Knowledge is power, and we encourage everyone to learn more by tuning in at the link here.
Women deserve to know earlier and have a fighting chance against this devastating disease. Together, we can make Tina Brozman’s wish to discover an effective early detection screen for ovarian cancer a reality.
Tina’s Wish hosts annual events in NYC; Washington, D.C.; Boston; Richmond, Virginia; Southern California; and Chicago. To learn more and to join us at one of these events, please visit the organization’s upcoming events page. tinaswish.org