"You have the REAL ovarian cancer."

I can still remember the chill I felt upon hearing those words -- followed by a numbness, deep-seated fear and bewilderment about what would come next.

I immediately turned to the Internet. As a former journalist, I knew how to do research and specifically how to distinguish good websites from bad. But even looking at the responsible websites scared me. The statistics for ovarian cancer recurrence and survival are, well, not good.

Of course, everyone approaches things differently, but when someone who has been newly diagnosed asks me for advice, I advise them not to look at the statistics. You are not a statistic. Just know it's urgent that you get treatment now by a gynecologic oncologist.

You don't know a GYN oncologist, you say? Go to foundationforwomenscancer.org and click on Women's Cancer Network to search for a doctor by ZIP code. Here in the metropolitan St. Louis area we're very fortunate to have a cadre of top-notch GYN oncologists.

We hope you'll find our Get Help section useful. Under Resources you can learn about setting up a communication website to send news to your friends, get helpful gifts from SLOCA or find accurate, up-to-date information online.

You can also learn about support groups in the St. Louis area.

And you can read the stories of some of SLOCA's members who not only have survived this dreaded disease but who are thriving with good quality of life.

We hope you will want to join SLOCA as a member, sign up for its newsletter and, when you're feeling strong, join us as a volunteer to help spread the word about this disease.

In the meantime, we wish you well -- literally.

Jan Paul

KNOW THE SYMPTOMS. LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. TAKE ACTION.

Jan Paul