September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month

Sept. 15, 2012 - PRLog -- Author Coy F. Cross II will be wearing his teal ribbon this month to honor his wife’s fight with Stage 3 Ovarian Cancer and to raise awareness about risk factors such as a family history of cancer and recognizing possible symptoms including abdominal swelling and/or pain.

“Although ovarian cancer has one of the highest mortality rates and is a leading cause of cancer deaths among women, there are no effective early detection methods,” Coy Cross says.

Last year, when President Obama signed the proclamation declaring September as Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, he said September is our time to reaffirm our commitment to develop successful early interventions as well as to support the thousands of women who will be diagnosed this year and to honor our loved ones who we have lost to this terrible disease.

President Obama also acknowledged that ovarian cancer affects the families, friends, and the community in many cases.

“My wife, Carol, and I struggled with the news when the doctor first shaped the words, ‘Stage 3 Ovarian Cancer’,” Coy remembers. “All through her treatment we tried to find meaning in what was happening to her.”

One hint Coy gives caregivers is to waste no time with despair and questioning ‘Why?’  “Instead,” Coy says, “I learned how to be consciously present for Carol. I learned to pass through the "Dark Night" of Carol's cancer into a place of surrender where I became the "vehicle" of her care. When she told me, ‘I don't know how you can do this.’  My response was, and it was a response from my core, ‘I have come to see it as a privilege.’ ”  

Coy explains that he didn’t stay in the "vehicle" place all the time. “Maybe saints do,” Coy says, “but I didn’t.  However, I found I could carry that sense of presence with me even if I fell into ‘victimhood’. I used ‘being present’ to help lift up both Carol and me.” Coy and Carol found hidden gifts in their challenges, ones they never could have expected to find.
“I want to share what I have learned,” Coy states. “Hopefully, I can help before someone is neck-deep in life’s hardest experiences or when they are trying to make sense of it after it is over.”

ABOUT DR. COY F. CROSS II
Dr. Coy F. Cross II is a retired U.S. Air Force historian but his greatest contribution may be as a caregiver to his wife Carol as she struggled with ovarian cancer. Coy’s story is the basis of his book, The Dhance: A Caregiver’s Search for Meaning, which details his transformation from helpless fear to loving caregiver. Now he speaks to groups about how he uses ‘practical spirituality’ to find meaning in his life, no matter what the circumstances. Coy often says, “You may not like what is happening in your life, but accepting it is the first step towards tapping into your divine source where your best solutions reside.” Visit Coy’s website: http://TheDhance.com

If you'd like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Coy F. Cross II, please call Jennifer Geronimo at 619/713-6756 or email jmgeronimo@aol.com.