Bedecked in greenish-blue t-shirts, cancer survivors and their supporters met in Dallas on Saturday to raise awareness about ovarian cancer.
The Together in TEAL participants met at The Sound at Cypress Waters in Coppell for the event, which was organized by the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition (NOCC), the largest nonprofit in the nation working to prevent and cure ovarian cancer while enhancing the quality of life for survivors and caregivers. It has been in operation since 1991.
A total of $63,253 was raised by the time of the event with the help of 645 participants who racked up nearly 567 miles in a 5K run and march. It is still possible to donate and help the organization reach its goal of $135,000.
Ovarian cancer occurs when a tumor of cancerous cells forms in the ovaries, fallopian tubes, or the peritoneum. Although it is the second most common form of gynecological cancer behind that of the uterus, it causes the most fatalities.
For those diagnosed with ovarian cancer, it can feel like a death sentence, as one survivor named Linda recounted in a video spot for the CDC.
Despite being a healthy, active individual with no family history of cancer, Linda found herself in need of a hysterectomy and chemotherapy.
“I went in to fight cancer like a warrior goddess. But I’m not superhuman. There are times when we all need people to hold us. My family and friends, they were just there,” Linda recalled.
While there are outliers like Linda, obesity increases the risk of several types of cancers, including ovarian cancer, as previously covered by The Dallas Express.
Although the exact mechanisms are not fully understood, some research has indicated that overweight and obese individuals have higher levels of oxidative stress and inflammation, which can heighten the risk of cancer.
As the CDC suggested, a person’s risk of cancer rises the more excess weight they carry and the longer they carry it.
The agency also found that upwards of 684,000 new cancer cases related to excess weight are logged each year nationwide, with 90% concerning individuals aged 50 or above. These diagnoses involved women twice as often as men, with 470,000 and 210,000 cases logged, respectively.
As The Dallas Express has extensively covered, obesity rates among adults and children have been causing alarm on the public health front for years.
For instance, in 2020, 15.9% of Texas children aged 2-4 and 20.7% aged 10-17 were found to be obese, according to data from the National Survey of Children’s Health.
