A Myriad of Teal

After feeling a persistent bloating and discomfort in her pelvic region, Gail MacNeil was diagnosed with Stage III ovarian cancer in 1997. But not before having to deal with the frustration of her symptoms being undiagnosed for months and doctors assuring her that it was nothing more than “middle age.”

Reaching for a package of English muffins in the supermarket, Gail, of Chatham Township in Morris County, had an epiphany. Clearly detailed on the muffin package was the international pink ribbon symbol for breast cancer.

“Gail did not want to draw concern away from breast cancer,” said Jane MacNeil, Gail’s sister-in-law of Brookside, also located in Morris County. “But she realized that ovarian cancer needed more awareness, particularly about the symptoms.”

So, Gail plunged right in and started the “Turn the Towns Teal” campaign, which has volunteers hang teal ribbons in towns. The far-reaching grassroots program aims to educate women on the frequently overlooked symptoms of ovarian cancer.

“We are and always will be an awareness organization,” said MacNeil.

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, and teal blue is the official color of the disease, often called the silent killer because repeatedly women are in later stages of the disease, like Gail, before a formal diagnosis is made.

On Tuesday, Liz Thomas, a partner from recruited members of her staff to tie teal ribbons on trees on Main Street and place placards curbside with the possible symptoms of ovarian cancer.

“I sent a letter to Mayor Button asking if Moorestown could support the campaign,” said Thomas. “He was very accommodating.”

In its inaugural year, 2007, Gail, with the help of volunteers and local agencies, tied the biodegradable teal ribbons on trees, streetlamps and building arches in 40 towns throughout the Garden State. Now, the program is in over 90 towns in New Jersey, as well as 32 states—Alaska among them—and the United Kingdom.

“Women have a better survival rate if they can identify the symptoms early,” explained MacNeil, who assumed the chairperson’s responsibilities after Gail, a vibrant and lively realtor lost her fight in June 2008, at age 65.

There currently is no early detection test for ovarian cancer, which customarily strikes women in their 50s, said MacNeil, but unfortunately the disease slithers among younger women too.

“I talked to a 36-year-old single mother, who had been to 12 doctors in six months, and no one diagnosed the disease,” said MacNeil. “And one of my organizers lost her daughter, the year the young woman graduated from college.”

It was a total surprise when Haddonfield resident Dara Marcozzi was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1993 at age 31. Pregnant with her third child, a baseball-sized cancerous tumor was detected on Marcozzi's uterus during a routine ultrasound.

"I was not feeling sick, other than routine pregnancy symptoms," said Marcozzi, who is the chair of the New Jersey Governor's Ovarian Cancer Workgroup.

Five weeks later, doctors removed the tumor and, after her son was born, Marcozzi underwent a complete hysterectomy and six months of chemotherapy.

"I was very lucky," said Marcozzi. "I have been able to have the last 18 years with family."

Stalking its victims like prey, ovarian cancer affects about 22,000 women a year, according to the American Cancer Society. Nearly 90 percent lose their fight against this deadly gynecological disease. If detected early, survival from ovarian cancer is almost 95 percent. But only 19 percent of women are diagnosed in the early stage.

MacNeil says her group also hands out symptom cards at supermarkets, elevating the visibility of ovarian cancer symptoms—which besides bloating include vague gastrointestinal upsets, frequency of urination, pelvic swelling, fatigue and unexplained bowel habits.  

The ovarian cancer survivors and family members are a close-knit society. Besides MacNeil, other family members are lending their support toward the campaign.

Gail’s brother-in-law, Richard Cacciato, president of Frederick Wildman & Sons Importers has enlisted Folonari Wines to donate 50 cents for every bottle of Folonari Wines sold up to $10,000 during the month of September, with all funds going back into the campaign. Each bottle is outfitted with a necker outlining symptoms.  

Next year, “Turn the Towns Teal” is planning a large fundraiser, along with a campaign aimed directly toward doctors.

“When I was diagnosed, there was very little support out there," said Marcozzi. "This foundation is a wonderful campaign which has created encouragement for all of us."

To volunteer, make a donation, or for more information about “Turn the Towns Teal” campaign, please visit www.turnthetownsteal.org