Women and men are painting their toes teal for a good cause

Press Release – Danial Reed, Marketing Coordinator, NEA Baptist Charitable Foundation

Jonesboro, Ark.– Women – and men! – are painting their toenails teal during September. Why? To raise awareness of Ovarian Cancer in order to save lives.

Teal Toes encourages people to paint their toenails teal, the color of Ovarian Cancer Awareness, during September, Ovarian Cancer Awareness month.

Founder and seven-year survivor of ovarian cancer, Carey Fitzmaurice, came up with the national initiative to start the conversation about the signs of the “whispering killer.”

To learn more about Teal Toes plans in Jonesboro, for a list of participating salons or to find out how you can be involved, please contact Jill Cravens, NEA Baptist Charitable Foundation program manager and Teal Toes volunteer, by calling 870-936-8400 or email jill.cravens@neabc.com. Teal Toes is part of the annual Hope Week series of events. The purpose of Hope Week is to celebrate the importance of Hope in all our lives and to pass that Hope on to others. For a complete list of Hope Week events, visit: http://www.neabaptistcharitablefoundation.org.

The Teal Toes website (http://www.tealtoes.org) includes valuable information about symptoms of Ovarian Cancer, resources for additional information, ideas for how to spread the word about Ovarian Cancer and even lists of teal nail polish.

Each year in the United States, more than 21,000 women are diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer and about 15,000 women die of the disease (from the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance). Too many women with Ovarian Cancer do not get diagnosed until their cancer has spread. Their survival rate is 45 percent. The survival rate improves greatly – to 93 percent – if the cancer is diagnosed at an early state before it has spread. Only 19 percent of Ovarian Cancer cases are diagnosed at this local stage. Approximately 75 percent of Ovarian Cancer cases are diagnosed at an advanced stage after the cancer has spread beyond the ovary.

Historically, Ovarian Cancer was called the “silent killer” because symptoms were not thought to develop until the chance of cure was poor. However, recent studies have shown this term is untrue and that symptoms are much more likely to occur in women with Ovarian Cancer than women in the general population. These symptoms include: bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, difficulty eating or feeling full quickly, and urinary symptoms (urgency or frequency).

Research indicates that 95 percent of women with ovarian cancer had symptoms and 90 percent of women experienced symptoms with early-stage ovarian cancer. Symptoms vary from woman to woman and many times depend on the location of the tumor and its impact on the surrounding organs. Many of the symptoms mimic other conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome.

Teal Toes is a registered trademark of Teal Toes, Inc., a charitable organization incorporated in the State of Maryland.

NEA Baptist Charitable Foundation has a mission to help change lives through the programs and services it supports in Northeast Arkansas and the surrounding areas. The Foundation, through the generous gifts of our community, touches thousands of lives in our region each year. The programs that the Foundation offers include: Center for Healthy Children, Medicine Assistance, Hope Circle, Wellness Works, and Share Hope. To learn more, visit www.neabaptistfoundation.org.