Dickson Becomes a Teal Hero in Support of Women with Ovarian Cancer

East Antrim Alliance MLA, Stewart Dickson, has shown his support for women with ovarian cancer across East Antrim at a special event on Ovarian Cancer.

Teal is the colour of ovarian cancer awareness, which continues to be alarmingly low in Northern Ireland. Data from Target Ovarian Cancer shows that just a third of women in Northern Ireland would be able to name bloating as a symptom of ovarian cancer.

The symptoms of ovarian cancer are:

• Persistent bloated tummy

• Always feeling full

• Tummy pain

• Needing to wee more often or more urgently

Stewart Dickson said: “Over 4,000 women in the UK die of ovarian cancer each year, and awareness of the key symptoms remains too low. We must come together and act now to make sure everyone knows what look out for, and that those affected by ovarian cancer face better outcomes. That’s why I was delighted to join others and take part in this year’s Teal Hero event with Target Ovarian Cancer to create positive progress.”

Kellie Armstrong MLA, host of the Teal Heroes event in the Stormont, said: “Over 200 women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year in Northern Ireland, and our survival rates are among the worst in Europe. I’m proud to join many of my colleagues to become a Teal Hero to raise awareness of ovarian cancer. It is vital that we all know what to look out for to see better outcomes for those affected by ovarian cancer.”

Alexandra Holden, Deputy Chief Executive of Target Ovarian Cancer, said: “It’s been brilliant to see MLAs become awareness superheroes today. We know that much more needs to be done to increase awareness of ovarian cancer and save lives. It is so important that we continue to come together at events like this to work to transform the future of ovarian cancer. We look forward to continuing to work with these MLAs to make improvements in diagnosis and survival that women with ovarian cancer and their families deserve.”

Over 7,000 women are diagnosed each year in the UK, and over 4,000 women lose their lives each year. Target Ovarian Cancer works to raise the profile of ovarian cancer, spread the word about the symptoms, and train GPs in early diagnosis. Visit targetovariancancer.org.uk to find out more.