This year, STAAR Ovarian Cancer Foundation has launched the Step Up America national campaign during September. Their mission is to educate, raise awareness, and increase research funding especially for rare forms of the disease.

An important component of this campaign is education. It is a common misconception that ovarian cancer only affects older women. In reality, ovarian cancer doesn’t discriminate by age, and women as young as their early twenties are being diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Spreading the word to women and men about the ovarian cancer symptoms is extremely important because there is no regular screening process. This leads to an overwhelming number of late stage diagnoses. Low-grade Serous Carcinoma especially needs attention, as it disproportionately affects younger women who may not be aware of their risk. We encourage our TIY tribe to use STAAR’s symptom checker located on their website, https://www.staaroc.org.

One way STAAR is spreading awareness during this month is through their T-shirts that act as “human billboards”. On the back of the shirts the symptoms of ovarian cancer are listed, and every time someone wears their shirt this month, they could be saving the life of any woman who isn’t aware of the symptoms associated with ovarian cancer. Another way is through STEP UP America for Ovarian Cancer events that are taking place all over America this month to support their cause. Check out https://www.staaroc.org/ to see if there is an event happening near you so you can show support.

Know the Ovarian Cancer Symptoms

• Abdominal pain
• Bloating
• Feeling full quickly
• Frequent urination
• Fatigue
• Indigestion
• Pain with intercourse

(If you experience any of these symptoms for more than two weeks, see a doctor and ask about ovarian cancer.)

TIY has partnered with Step Up America for OC to help spread the word about the symptoms and raise funding for research this September. As a woman owned and run company, it is extremely important to us that we help spread awareness for ovarian cancer this month. For the month of September we will be wearing our Teal TIY to show support. In addition to funding, awareness is a huge component. We ask our TIY tribe to choose to wear their Teal TIY every day this month to spread awareness. Wear your teal, tag #coloritteal on social media, and make sure to talk to the women in your life about the symptoms of ovarian cancer. Use the code TIYSTAAR at checkout to get 20% off on your teal TIY!