Support and ovarian cancer treatments needed

8 FEBRUARY 2017: February is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month and I was joined at Ovarian Cancer Australia’s Teal Breakfast this morning by some women from my electorate. They included Trudy Crowley, who is living with ovarian cancer, and survivor, Maree Westman, along with friends and supporters, Jodie Euler and Patrice Jamieson. Ovarian cancer affects many families, including the friends and family of Mackay’s Dakota Rose, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at the age of nine last May.With a five-year survival rate of just 43 per cent, ovarian cancer has the lowest survival rates of any of the women’s cancers.So there is a lot of support needed for the women (and children) diagnosed and for their families. Ovarian Cancer Australia is seeking more funding to continue support and to reach a wider group of women with ovarian cancer.More emphasis also needs to be placed on priority-driven research, with a focus on better treatment options. I want people like Trudy and Maree and their families dealing with ovarian cancer to get the support they need and I will be advocating on their behalf for the funding that can improve quality of life and help to extend life. I will be facilitating meetings with the Primary Health Network and also the Mackay Hospitals and Health Service to see what funding might be available for a support network in North Queensland.