Five years ago, St. Charles resident Vallie M. Szymanski co-founded the Ovarian Cancer Symptom Awareness organization along with friends Susan and Rick Roman after Susan was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
Although Susan passed away in 2012, the organization she co-founded continues its mission to raise public awareness about the often “silent” symptoms of ovarian cancer to increase early detection of the disease.
As animal lovers from the beginning, the co-founders of the group wanted to incorporate an animal component into the organization.
As a result the group now organizes dog-friendly events that also focus on getting the word out about ovarian cancer, which ranks as the fourth most common cause of cancer deaths among women in the United States.
After all, the Romans’ dog may have been aware of Susan’s cancer before anyone else. Following a motorcycle accident, Susan’s husband Rick was working with a personal trainer at home and Susan joined in on the exercises.
While lying on the floor, Szymanski said “her dog came over and laid its head on her stomach.”
Since Susan’s mother had died of ovarian cancer, Susan routinely followed up with her doctor. Shortly after the incident with her dog, Susan learned she had Stage 3 ovarian cancer.
The awareness organization also works in partnership with the Illinois State Veterinary Medical Association for the “greater good of public health.”
“We found that pet owners talk to their veterinarians about their own health problems,” Szymanski said.
In addition, she added that since 80 percent of veterinarians are women, the collaboration of spreading the awareness about the symptoms associated with ovarian cancer was a good fit.
Ovarian cancer is so deadly because its symptoms — bloating, difficult menstrual cycles and unusual weight gain – are ailments women can experience at any given time, Szymanski said.
If symptoms last longer than two weeks and there is a family history of ovarian cancer, woman should follow up with their doctor, she added.
The group sponsors a Chocolate Lab, Ohlin, that works with researchers at the University Of Pennsylvania School Of Veterinary Medicine to detect early stage ovarian cancer.
“The sensitivity of an animal’s nose, especially a dog’s nose, is tremendous,” Dr. Kurt Klepitsch, a St. Charles vet and a member of the group’s board, said. “There is no question they can detect cancer.”
Researchers are teaching dogs how to detect ovarian cancer through either urine or blood samples, he added.
Once the chemical is determined, researchers can develop an “electronic nose” which someday could be a simple blood test to detect the presence of ovarian cancer, Klepitsch added.
“The key is early detection,” Klepitsch said. “If a woman gets diagnosed early, she has a much greater survival rate.”
He also has a personal connection to raising awareness about ovarian cancer. Klepitsch lost his 20-year-old niece, Katelyn Klepitsch, to ovarian cancer.
Away at college, she came home not feeling well. Doctors quickly operated to remove a large mass from her abdomen. The disease took her life a year and a half later.
In Katelyn’s memory, Ovarian Cancer Symptom Awareness provides a Veterinary Student Intern Scholarship at the Working Dog Center at the University of Pennsylvania.
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Ovarian Cancer Symptom Awareness Dog Walk and Fun Run
When: Event is at 9:30 a.m. Sept. 13.
Where: Two locations: Bunker Hill Forest Preserve at Touhy and Harts Road, Niles; and Leroy Oakes Forest Preserve, 37W700 Dean St., St. Charles.
Tickets: $35 for adults, $25 for students, $20 for children, and $10 for Scouts. Registration includes a T-shirt and teal bandanna for participating dogs.