SALTO WEEKLY 1–2–3 · ISSUE #14
Salto Health Weekly
Awareness months feel different from the inside
September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, and Wear Teal Day falls on Friday, September 4, this year.
Awareness months can feel strange from the inside. The color is everywhere, the posts multiply, and your actual day still looks like appointments, fatigue, or just getting through it.
A Note From Shannon
I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2011. Fifteen years later, I still wear the teal, because visibility is how most people learn that these symptoms are worth taking seriously. I talk about awareness and symptoms because I overlooked mine and it almost cost me my life.
However, awareness is only the first step. What I truly want from this month is for one woman to say the thing, the symptom, out loud at their next appointment. If wearing teal and talking about symptoms allows us to normalize listening to our bodies and speaking up when something feels off, then I’m all in.
And if the teal is not for you this year, that is completely fine. This month can bring a lot back, and not all of it is easy. Nothing about your survivorship, or your grief, depends on how visible you are in September.
With care,
Shannon
1. insight
Ovarian cancer is often described as hard to catch early, and part of the reason is that the symptoms are easy to explain away as something else entirely.
Bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, feeling full quickly, urinary urgency or frequency and changes in bowel habits are among the most commonly cited signs, and they are also things most people brush off because we are all busy.
Awareness is not just about ribbons or colors. Sometimes it is about giving yourself permission to take a nagging symptom seriously enough to mention it out loud.
2. practical Tips
○ Tip 1: Say the thing at your next appointment, even if it feels small.
If something has been persistent enough that you have noticed it more than once, that is enough reason to name it. You do not need to be certain, or to have a theory, to bring it up. Speak up and share this with your doctor, now.
○ Tip 2: Let teal be optional.
Awareness months come with a lot of implied participation. If posting, walking, or wearing teal feels energizing, do it, and know that visibility is what makes other people take their own symptoms seriously. If it feels like one more obligation this year, skipping it takes nothing away from your experience or your survivorship.
3. Resources
Resource 1: About Salto Health
Salto Health was built out of an ovarian cancer diagnosis and the gap that followed it, between knowing you need help and knowing how to ask for it.
Learn about Salto Health →Resource 2: Preparing to Raise Something With Your Doctor
If there is something you have been meaning to mention, writing it down first makes it easier to say. When it started, how often, whether it is changing. A short note beats trying to remember under pressure.
Resource 3: Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance
For readers who want awareness materials, symptom information, or ways to get involved this month, OCRA maintains toolkits and patient resources.
Explore OCRA resources →From Salto Health
Support Made Simpler
Awareness matters, and so does the ordinary week you are actually living. A Salto Health support registry gives friends and family a clear way to help with the practical parts, whether or not September makes anyone ask.
Create Your RegistryAwareness is useful. Support is what carries you through the week.
Salto Health
New in the Shop
Find what’s helpful, when it’s needed most.
We’re always adding thoughtful items for comfort, recovery, and treatment support. Take a look at what’s new today and check back often for fresh additions.
Shop New
New items are added from time to time, so it’s worth checking back whenever you need a little extra support.
