September Is Gynaecological Cancer Awareness Month

There are 5 gynaecological cancers- Cervical, Ovarian, Uterine, Vaginal, and Vulval.

1 New Zealander dies every 24 hours from a gynaecological cancer that’s higher than both our road toll and melanoma rates, yet has for too long been largely unpublicised and overlooked.

Is it shame and stigma around women's gynecological health that has got us to this point? Staying silent is harming our communities, it’s killing our wahine, our life-bearers.

The five-year survival rate for ovarian cancer in New Zealand is 37%. It has a 70% chance of recurrence post treatment, the survival statistics for ovarian cancer have remained virtually unchanged for 30 years. This is literally a crisis point in terms of advancement in survival rates for cancers.

Breast cancer used to have a similar outlook but now thanks to incredible advocacy, large scale fundraising and an immense amount of research the breast cancer 10-year survival rate is 75% if a lump is the first sign or 92% if detected via a regular mammogram.

New Zealand is lagging behind both the USA and Australia in survival advancements, Australia's Federal Government announced at the end of 2019 the first ever substantial funding grant specifically targeted for ovarian cancer — $20 million for research, with a focus on early detection.

85% of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer are diagnosed in the later stages of disease, this statistic is gut-wrenching.

A cervical screening test will NOT pick up 4 of the 5 gynaecological cancer, it’s imperative people are educated on the signs and symptoms, and feel confident in advocating for themselves. We need to be talking, we need our community to know what to look for and how to advocate for themselves, we need to educate and end stigma.

We can now have open conversations about breasts, men’s rugby teams are wearing pink, the stigma has gone and this is what is needed for the pink bits below too! Lastly, we need funding to support those diagnosed; being diagnosed with a gynaecological cancer is an isolating time, there are no big corporates out there supporting this crucial area of health.

Talk Peach is founded and run by ovarian cancer survivors. We know all too well the devastation that comes with this diagnosis and the heartbreaking feeling of being overlooked.

We are desperate to educate to break down the stigma stopping life-saving conversations, this is a national issue, it's about equity, it's about our wahine, it's about feminism. Tomorrow we lose another mum, aunt, sister, daughter, gran, wife to a gynaecological cancer.

September is Gynaecological Cancer Awareness month, for years this has crept past without a whisper, stigma plays a part, so does the fact that we don’t have the army of survivors to march the streets and fundraise, to put it bluntly, we are all dying. With ovarian cancer women don't live long enough to form the army of advocates that our breast cancer whanau have done so incredibly.

We desperately need gynecological cancer month to be as bold as other cancer awareness months.

“In 10 years time I don't want to see that nothing has changed I can't bear to see more and more woman dying of something they never heard of , never knew the signs of or that no one cared to research for, it breaks my heart EVERY single day receiving messages from those needing support and feeling like they got the cancer no one gives a shit about or is too scared to speak up about” - Tash Crosby Founder

It's time to talk ovaries, it's time to talk vulvas, cervixes, uteruses and vaginas

This gynaecological cancer month we kindly ask for your support. Please donate via our educational website www.talkpeach.org.nz or our give-a-little at https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/september-gynaecological-cancer-awareness-month

Introducing Talk Peach - A local initiative saving Kiwi's lives

Tash Crosby has something important to say. Something that stems from a difficult personal experience. Surviving ovarian cancer has left her seriously concerned about the lack of public knowledge on the five main gynaecological cancers - a group of diseases which take the life, on average, of one New Zealand woman every 24 hours. She’s decided to do something about this, and it’s called Talk Peach: an initiative to raise awareness of cervical, ovarian, vulval, vaginal and uterine cancer, upskill the public and health professionals on these killer diseases and empower women to take ownership of their gynaecological health.

“I’m doing this because I was one of the lucky ones” says Tash. “I was one of 15 percent of women in New Zealand caught at stage one of ovarian cancer - 85% are caught in the later stages where chances of survival are extremely low. It worries me that most people believe their three yearly cervical smear test will keep them safe, when in reality it only tests for one of the five gynaecological cancers. There is no screening tool for the other four, you MUST know the signs and act upon them.

Like many women with ovarian cancer, Tash’s diagnosis wasn’t straightforward and it took a lot of insistence on her part to be taken seriously. Once medical professionals realised what it was, treatment was fast and gruelling, including two operations and six months of chemo. At times it got quite lonely so she started doing some research and amassing a community of other sufferers all around the world to help her get through it. Once she recovered, she vowed to launch an organisation and a website with all the information and support she wished she’d had at the time.

A Lot has happened over Talk Peach' 2 years in operation, they are now on The Pulse netball teams uniform, have a soon to be announced collaboration with a leading menstrual brand, have spoken at Government multiple times, have educated the public and DHBs nationwide, they support anyone diagnosed nationally by funding meals and physiotherapy, campaign for better pathways to diagnosis, access to clinical trials and funding into research and have spoken loud and clear about breaking down stigma and opening up life saving conversations on gynaecological health.

We think it's time the public got behind them: It's time to TALK PEACH!

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