Morris ready to turn town teal for ovarian cancer campaign
By Jeanne Millsap For The Herald-News August 23, 2012 1:18PM
Rene Genau and Corri Trotter plan to Turn the Town Teal in Morris this weekend and throughout the month of September for ovarian cancer awareness. | Jeanne Millsap ~ for Sun-Times Media
At A Glance
This year’s Turn the Town Teal month in Morris, the third year for the awareness campaign, will include the following events:
Running for Life Ovarian Cancer Awareness 5K run/walk begins at 8 a.m. Saturday. The run starts on DuPont Avenue in front of White Oak School, 54 White Oak Drive. Register for the event online at www.runningforlife5k.com. Pre-registration cost is $25 and $30 on race day beginning at 6:30 a.m.
Following the 5K, volunteers will Turn the Town Teal, tying ribbons around downtown Morris, at City Hall and around the Morris Hospital campus.
Master hair stylist Chad White will Tint the Town Teal throughout September. For a $10 donation, he will put a teal streak or color in clients’ hair at Roots salon, 224 W. Washington St. in Morris. For an appointment, call 815-941-2923.
For more information about Turn the Town Teal, email runningforlife5k@yahoo.com or visit www.turnthetownsteal.org.
Updated: September 25, 2012 10:43AM
MORRIS — Events are planned in Morris for this weekend and the month of September, which is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, to teach women the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer.
A 5K run/walk will be Saturday morning, with donations going to cancer research and awareness programs. After the run, volunteers will tie teal ribbons around trees and light poles throughout downtown Morris, at city hall and around the Morris Hospital campus.
A local hairstylist, Chad White, will also put a streak of teal color in the hair of anyone who donates $10 to the cause throughout the month of September.
This is the third year Corri Trotter has organized Turn the Town Teal. She began participating in the nationwide campaign in memory of her mother, who died of ovarian cancer. It’s a cause that’s important to her.
“There is no early detection test for ovarian cancer,” she said, “which is why this campaign is so very critical in fighting the disease … I have a passion to raise awareness. The symptoms can be so easily overlooked or written off to something else.”
The sometimes subtle symptoms of ovarian cancer can include bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, trouble eating, feeling full quickly, fatigue, upset stomach or heartburn, back pain, pain during sex, constipation or menstrual changes, and such urinary symptoms as urgent or frequent feelings of needing to go.
Trotter said physicians recommend women see their doctors if they have any of the above symptoms. And seek a second or third opinion if you feel a doctor is writing you off, she added.
The cancer is often misdiagnosed, then discovered when the stage is too advanced to cure.
