GEORGIA OVARIAN CANCER ALLIANCE INC
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Mission Statement
The mission of the Georgia Ovarian Cancer Alliance is o provide educational and awareness initiatives that will empower women of all ages, their families, and the healthcare community to recognize the risks and symptoms of ovarian cancer and the importance of early detection and treatment.
About This Cause
GOCA History In 1998, a group of Atlanta women met each other at the St. Joseph’s Gynecologic Cancer Support Group. All ovarian cancer survivors with different stories to share, they began pooling their energies and passions with the intent to bring awareness of ovarian cancer and early detection to the forefront of women’s health issues. The first step was to educate Georgia’s women of all ages, their families, and healthcare providers about the risks and symptoms of ovarian cancer. This initial passion and our “Awareness. Knowledge. Action.” campaign remains very much the focus of GOCA today. Since our beginning, GOCA has transformed from an idea hatched at a founder’s dining room table to a very strong, community based non-profit organization led by those touched by ovarian cancer in some way. With a strong base of supporters, volunteers, and staff we continue to reach hundreds of thousands of women and their families with our life saving messages. GOCA Programs Survivors Teaching Students – Saving Women’s Lives © In conjunction with the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance this innovative and critical national effort focuses on educating students in health professional programs on ovarian cancer. The program brings the faces and voices of ovarian cancer survivors, caregivers, and family members into the classrooms of health professional students to educate them about women's experiences with the disease. The ultimate goal of the program is to increase the number of health care providers who may recognize the symptoms and risk factors for ovarian cancer so that the disease is detected earlier. We are in a unique position to help students to become more sensitive to the symptoms of and risk factors for ovarian cancer so that when they become diagnosticians they can diagnose women early and save lives. We have been partnering with Emory Medical School for the past 9 years and the program has been incorporated in to the medical school curriculum. We all so present to medical students at Morehouse School of Medicine and Georgia Regents University Physician Assistant student. To date, over 1,600 future medical professionals have taken part in this program. We are working on expanding the program to additional medical schools, as well as nursing and physician assistant programs. Education and Awareness – “Awareness.Knowledge.Action” A key component of the Awareness.Knowledge.Action campaign consists of speaking engagements and dissemination of GOCA collateral to the female population, of all ages, and their families across Georgia. This is accomplished via health fairs, speaking engagements, Lunch & Learn sessions, and community events. The utilization of ovarian cancer patients and survivors during these presentations “puts a face on” the disease and validates the message along with the importance of knowing the facts, signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer, and informing women of the importance of knowing their body and taking action that leads to early diagnosis. We have resources across the state and can tailor a presentation, large or small, to any demographic. Through the use social media we are able to reach new partners that can help spread our mission as well as promote other ovarian cancer organizations. Unique programs such as Chris Baxter Fishing and John Davis Racing enables GOCA to reach an audience never before thought possible. Bag of Hope The Georgia Ovarian Cancer Alliance Bag of Hope is one of GOCA’s premiere community outreach programs. It was designed by, and is continually reviewed by, ovarian cancer patients and healthcare professionals to ensure the bag contents meet the needs of the ovarian cancer patient. The Bag of Hope is given, free of charge, to newly-diagnosed, Georgia based, ovarian cancer patients to let them know they are not alone on their journey. GOCA created this program in response to needs expressed by women diagnosed with ovarian cancer to have readily available reliable information on cancer resources, and support while providing comfort and hope. Recipients receive a CD containing information to prepare cancer patients for the rigors of chemotherapy with information about possible side effects such as hair loss, appetite, and neuropathy and how to combat them strategically. Information is also provided to assist the recipient in talking to their children, family, and friends as well as dealing with intimacy. The Bag of Hope also contains items to encourage comfort and a positive attitude towards fighting ovarian cancer that include: - Monogrammed GOCA duffel bag Reusable GOCA grocery Bag - GOCA hat - Handmade lightweight turban - Lightweight GOCA fleece blanket - Pair of GOCA booties - Writing journal and pen - GOCA water bottle - Survivor DVD - Informational CD - Hot/cold pack Here are a few comments from recipients of the GOCA Bag of Hope. “What an incredible and delightful surprise. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.” “Thank you from a survivor! Comfort during an amazingly frightening time!” “Thank you so very much for the wonderful bag of goodies you sent for my mother-in-law. EVERYTHING in it is absolutely beautiful and she LOVED it!” “I gladly and sadly gave my friend a Bag of Hope. It helped her so much, she was so grateful. Thank you for helping me to help her.” Since the inception of the program in 2007 over 1,800 GOCA Bags of Hope have been distributed. In 2013 243 Bags of Hope were distributed. Thanks to expanded outreach and relationship developments 394 Bags of Hope were delivered in 2014. The 2015 distribution goal is 450 Bags of Hope reaching women battling this hideous disease. Sponsorship of a Bag of Hope is possible with a $100 donation. The donor gets to send a personalized message of support and hope to the recipient in their sponsored bag. On-line Media Library GOCA considers this path to community outreach a vital part to the education and awareness of Ovarian Cancer as well as the many topics that cross over to all cancers. This program provides an extensive resource and educational online library via video; a complete video library available to the entire cancer community- women and their families and caregivers, which includes videos on basic ovarian cancer facts and symptoms, public service announcements, tutorials on current chemotherapies, integrative medicines, trends and treatments, and the needed resources available to women, their families and caregivers, and stories of courage and support as well as discussions on OC research in a very friendly format, including interviews with Survivors, family members and caregivers. To use video as a Community Outreach and Education tool is something that is not readily available to those diagnosed and touched by cancer. While there are widespread resources and several websites that you can hunt through there is not another “library” like ours. We provide a place to start for women diagnosed and their family, caregivers, and extended support system.