Today on Jill Emberson’s birthday and her public memorial, we would like to thank Alison from channel 10 that has created and released a powerful video and an important message for ovarian cancer awareness and pay tribute to Jill.
10Daily – The Silent Killer: Australian Women On The Importance Of Understanding Ovarian Cancer
Jill was a fearless warrior for funding fairness and an amazing advocate wanting to create change for ovarian cancer research. May the “storytellers” legacy live on. R.I.P Jill.
Our very own Tasha Armour founder and CEO of Rare Ovarian Cancer Inc. ROC Inc is featured in the video along with ROC Inc Director & Secretary Melanie York.
Both women are very proactive and advocates for ovarian cancer awareness and Granulosa Cell Tumours (GCT) a Rare Ovarian cancer (ROC).
GCT has two subtypes adult (aGCT) and juvenile (jGCT) and account for 10% of all ovarian cancers. Tasha’s daughter Mikayla was diagnosed at 16 years old with jGCT and Melanie diagnosed with aGCT.
These brave women along with these courageous women Jacinta Frawley Werger, Carla Bower, Kristin Young and Claire Mitchell share their story to bring more awareness to ovarian cancer and every one of them along with 1000’s of women are wanting and fighting for what Jill called “funding fairness” for ovarian cancers.
Ovarian cancer stats are downright horrible with the survival rate at only 46% . Over 70% of women are diagnosed at late stage where the cancer has spread, making it very difficult to treat. There is no national screening test and three girls to women die every day from ovarian cancer! This needs to change.
The Australian Governments emerging Priorities and Consumer Driven Grant Is for 20 million dollars for ovarian cancer.
That is 4million per year for the next 5 years. Breast cancer receives $115 million per year. It is great that it does receive funding and their survival rate of 91% reflects that the money invested in research works to improve survival rates, we are asking for the same commitment from our Government and the Australian Health Minister Hon. Greg Hunt to improve ovarian cancer survival rates. GCT accounts for 10% of all ovarian cancers yet jGCT has NEVER EVER received one cent towards research, aGCT has received 2.6million in over 21 years Oh and that included a scholarship within that money.
jGCT they don’t know even the most basic of information. Each cancer to be able to treat it needs to know the mutated gene, a starting point.
ROC Inc created the world’s first and largest research for jGCT to find the mutated gene. In Australia the youngest in our research was diagnosed at 11months old to the oldest diagnosed at 52 years old, in the world our youngest is diagnosed at 4months old and the oldest 53 years old this horrible disease affects females of all ages.
We are hoping that will all change as ROC Inc is working with the amazing and world leading GCT expert’s Dr Simon Chu and Prof Peter Fuller and their team at the Hudson Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne. With no current funding from the government, ROC Inc is funding the research we have not raised all the money needed for this vital research to give us a starting point for treatment options. If you would like to help us please donate here.