Newly Diagnosed With Ovarian Cancer? Ask for Help and Get Educated, Says One Patient

Diane Powis spent more than 10 months bouncing from one doctor to the next before finally being “blindsided by” a diagnosis of stage 3 ovarian cancer. But as her initial feelings of isolation and fear wore off, Powis soon learned that she wasn’t alone – and that help and information were out there.

In an interview with CURE®, Powis recently opened up about how her diagnosis taught her to ask for help, and how finding a community of fellow patients helped her realize that “knowledge is power.”

“I've learned a lot about being open,” Powis said. “And it's funny where help comes from, the places you don't expect.”

Transcription
First of all, ask for help. And I think as women, it's so hard. I think so many of us are caretakers, and we're used to being there for others, whether it be our family or friends … work, but, you need it. And I've learned a lot about being open. And it's funny where help comes from, the places you don't expect. Sometimes you get a lot of help.

I would also say, to reach out to others with the disease; it can be very helpful, I think. I felt so alone, initially, like I was the only person in the world who's dealing with this. But that is so not true. There's over 200,000 women, closer to three (hundred thousand), living with ovarian cancer right now. And there are so many organizations out there that you can connect with, support groups, or to get information (from), because I really, I feel like knowledge is power in all of this, that you really need to educate yourself.

And you know, I think there's a lot of misinformation out there. So, if you look around a little bit, you can get connected to these organizations and this information. It exists. So those are some of the things I would recommend.