Survivor Stories

As shocking as it can be to receive a diagnosis of gynecologic cancer, we want you to know that No One Fights Alone. We hope these personal stories of diagnosis, treatment and survival from women who have persevered and triumphed over these diseases provide comfort and support for your journey.

If you would like to share your story, please send it to ogccmail@gmail.com

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Resource Guide

OGCC/Rhonda’s Club has compiled a resource guide for newly diagnosed ovarian and endometrial cancer patients with practical information on what to expect during treatment, frequently asked questions, a glossary of medical terms and other useful facts. This guide is included in our patient care bags distributed free of charge to patients.

Rhonda’s Story

When she learned in 1994 that she had ovarian cancer, Ms. Rhonda Oziel was confronted with a lack of readily available information on the disease and its treatment.

She became a founder of the Ovarian & Gynecologic Cancer Coalition of Greater Washington, which was later renamed OGCC/Rhonda’s Club in her honor.

May 8 is World Ovarian Cancer Day

On May 8, people around the world raise their voices in the fight against ovarian cancer, the most lethal of women’s cancers.

295,000+ women around the world are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year and 184,000+ die from the disease.

Absent a reliable screening test, awareness of the four primary ovarian cancer symptoms is the best defense. These symptoms are:

BLOATING
DIFFICULTY EATING OR FEELING FULL QUICKLY
ABDOMINAL OR PELVIC PAIN
URINARY FREQUENCY OR URGENCY

If you have any of these symptoms for more than two weeks, see a doctor, preferably a gynecologist.

Support the Ovarian and Gynecologic Cancer Coalition/Rhonda’s Club. Donate today. Thank you.

Coping with COVID-19

The COVID-19 epidemic has unsettled everyone’s life, including forcing OGCC/Rhonda’s Club to postpone several events and classes planned for spring. We intend to re-schedule when public health conditions allow. In the meantime, we’ve compiled the following resources to guide you, especially those in treatment who may have questions about maintaining your treatment schedule, visiting hospitals and doctors’ offices, and similar concerns.

from our national organization, OCRA…
https://ocrfa.activehosted.com/social/06997f04a7db92466a2baa6ebc8b872d.840

from the Foundation for Women’s Cancer…
https://www.foundationforwomenscancer.org/news-stories/covid-19/

from the Dana Farber Cancer Institute….
https://blog.dana-farber.org/insight/2020/03/tips-for-keeping-your-mind-healthy-and-active-in-the-time-of-covid-19/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Read%20More%20%3E&utm_campaign=spotlight

If current conditions find you shopping online,
Please sign up with at SmileAmazon.com to support Rhonda’s Club at no cost to you every time you shop online at Amazon. Just log onto Smile.Amazon.com and designate the “Ovarian Cancer Coalition of Greater Washington” (that’s us) and Amazon will donate a portion of the money you spend to Rhonda’s Club. We greatly appreciate your support!

Patient Support Line is Open...

If you're an ovarian cancer patient and are feeling overwhelmed by these challenging times and unsure of what it means for you, remember that help is just a phone call away. Our national organization, OCRA, has an oncology social worker, Tracy, available to chat Monday through Friday. Call 212-268-1002 and ask for Tracy, and if she misses your call she'll get back to you within 24 hours

Upcoming Events
Important Update on the Uniting for Hope: Ovarian Cancer National Conference

Due to the COVID-19 global pandemic, OCRA’s 2020 National Conference, previously scheduled for July, will now be a virtual event, taking place from September 29-October 2, 2020. For more information, see: https://ocrahope.org/events/conference/

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In the News...

JoAnn Symons, chair of Rhonda’s Club and an ovarian cancer survivor, was interviewed for WTOP News on doctor-patient communication at:

https://wtop.com/health-fitness/2019/02/the-bad-news-giving-and-receiving-a-terminal-diagnosis/

RHONDA'S CLUB 2018 ANNUAL REPORT

Rhonda’s Club is empowered through contributions of time, energy and dollars to support survivors of gynecologic cancers in direct and practical ways, engage in outreach to our community, raise awareness of these diseases, and promote medical research to find better treatments and cures. We have assessed both the measurable and intangible outcomes of our programs in the areas of Medical Education, Assistance to Survivors, Public Awareness and Outreach, and Research in 2018 and present them here for your review. Please read more about our activities here.

We are grateful for your moral and financial support. Every year, we lose too many good women to gynecologic cancers. Please help us turn the tide against these devastating diseases.

Thank you,

JoAnn Symons, chair
Clare Donelan, Treasurer
Pat Goldman, founding member
Susan Kim
Mary Kinler
Karen Ribler
Christy Schmidt
Patricia Seggerman, Secretary
Paige Whitaker
Susan Yaffe-Oziel
Dr. Maya Soetoro-Ng, Honorary Member

Survivor Stories

Resource Guide

Rhonda’s Story

Upcoming EventsImportant Update on the Uniting for Hope: Ovarian Cancer National Conference

Thank you to our supporters!

Upcoming Events
Important Update on the Uniting for Hope: Ovarian Cancer National Conference