HAVERTON, Pa., Nov. 14, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- It is a historic moment in the life of Sheryl Silver, the advocates in the Sandy Rollman Ovarian Cancer Foundation and more significantly, for the lives of millions of women in the United States. The House of Representatives has passed Johanna's Law, the Gynecologic Cancer Education and Awareness Act. Named after Johanna Silver Gordon, a health conscious former public school teacher who died from ovarian cancer, her sister Sheryl has been working along with ovarian cancer advocates for three years to bring Johanna's Law to the attention of Capitol Hill. The bill has attracted broad bi-partisan support, as over half the members (257) of the U.S. House of Representatives and over forty percent of the Senate are co-sponsors. Other endorsing groups include the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), Society of Gynecologic Oncologists (SGO) and other groups representing 300,000+ doctors, nurses, women's groups and cancer survivors.
This bill is important to women from all walks of life. Thousands of women in the United States each year are stunned not only to be diagnosed with a gynecologic cancer -- but to learn that the symptoms they experienced prior to their diagnoses were common symptoms of these cancers. A pervasive lack of knowledge about gynecologic cancer symptoms commonly leads to lengthy delays in diagnosis. Every 6.5 minutes, a woman in the U.S. is newly diagnosed with ovarian, uterine or another form of gynecologic cancer. In the last ten years alone, over 250,000 American women have lost their lives to these diseases. Nearly 30,000 more are predicted to die this year.
Johanna's Law would create a federal campaign of education regarding the risk factors and symptoms of gynecologic cancers, designed to improve early detection and lower the death toll from these cancers. Early detection is the key to successful treatment. The five-year survival rates for the most common gynecologic cancers are 90 percent when diagnosed early, but the survival rates drop to 50 percent or less for cancers diagnosed later.
Next steps for Johanna's Law include passage in the Senate, and ultimately the signature of the President of the United States. The bill was introduced into the Senate by Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) and Senator Tom Harkins (D-IA) on June 6, 2005. The public can help to increase support in the Senate by contacting their own Senators and requesting them to call on Senate leadership to pass Johanna's Law.
For more information, contact the Sandy Rollman Ovarian Cancer Foundation at 1-877-730-1100 or at www.sandyovarian.org.
Editors Note:
Founded in 2000 by Robin Cohen and Adriana Way, The Sandy Rollman Ovarian Cancer Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit, 501c3 organization created as a tribute to the life, character, and immense strength of Sandy Rollman who passed away from advanced ovarian cancer in May 2000. Sandy's sister, Adriana and her nurse Robin decided to keep Sandy's memory alive while trying to promote awareness and raise funds for Ovarian Cancer research, prevention and support. The foundation is in Sandy's memory and the memory of all women who have succumbed to this insidious disease.