When ovarian cancer whispers, Tulsans Larry Bump and Bob West want you to hear it.
They didn't.
And they both lost their wives of more than 40 years to the insidious disease.
"That's the mission, to get the symptoms out," said West. "When a lady has the symptoms, she should ask the doctor to rule out ovarian cancer."
For years, the two men and their wives were good friends, socializing often. Linda Bump and Sandra West frequently played tennis or bridge together. Then, ovarian cancer invaded the Wests' lives.
"I remember when Sandra was diagnosed how anguished Linda was," Bump said of his wife.
Just 2 1/2 years later, Linda Bump was diagnosed with the disease. Both women died, just 11 days apart, in March 2007.
After their wives' deaths, Bump and West felt they had to do something. They realized that neither couple had known much about early symptoms of the disease. If they had, perhaps the women's lives would have been spared.
"We want to make women more aware of the early symptoms until some sort of conclusive blood test or diagnostic tool is available," Bump said.
Bump and West are putting tens of thousands of dollars of their own money
into an awareness campaign for ovarian cancer.
"Ovarian cancer doesn't get the play that breast cancer gets, probably because it's not as common," West said. "But I suspect more women die from ovarian cancer than statistics show."
Bump also believes ovarian cancer is underestimated.
"The odds are one in 3,000 women get it. I'm not sure I believe that. It's really peculiar how both our wives had it," he said.
West added, "We took up quite a bit of the odds."
Last year, the men organized a luncheon for 250 women, featuring a physician who told women with any of the symptoms to insist that their gynecologists rule out ovarian cancer.
"Prove to me I don't have ovarian cancer," she told women to say.
This year, Bump and West want to take their campaign beyond 250 women and distribute symptom cards throughout the Tulsa metropolitan area. They plan to use direct mail, billboards, and whatever else they need to get the word out.
"Our wives were very bright women and very engaged in life," Bump said. "None of the four of us knew any of the symptoms. Had we known, they probably would be alive today."
Both women were healthy, accomplished and involved in the Tulsa community.
The Bumps were married 42 years. Linda Bump was a tireless volunteer and active on the boards of Gilcrease Museum and Hillcrest Medical Center. She delivered Meals on Wheels for years.
"She was an adventurous, fun-loving lady. She was someone who was a real coper," Bump said. "I was a lucky man."
The Wests were married 46 years. They met while attending the University of Tulsa. Sandra West became the first female president of the TU Alumni Association. She founded Let's Go, a travel company that led groups of women to a variety of destinations.
"Those 46 years just couldn't have been better," West said.
Both men want their wives' legacies to be one of saving others.
If their spouses could see them now, West said, "I think they would give us an 'atta-boy.' "
Kim Archer 581-8315
kim.archer@tulsaworld.com
There is no accurate test for ovarian cancer. The most effective way women can protect themselves against ovarian cancer is to learn the signs and symptoms. If these symptoms are unusual for you and persist for more than two weeks, see a health care professional to rule out the possibility of ovarian cancer.
-- Vague but persistent and unexplained gastrointestinal complaints such as gas, nausea, and indigestion
-- Abdominal bloating, pelvic and/or abdominal pain, and/or feeling of fullness
-- Unexplained change in bowel habits (constipation or diarrhea)
-- Unexplained weight gain or loss
-- Frequency and/or urgency of urination
-- Unusual fatigue
-- Shortness of breath
-- New and unexplained abnormal postmenopausal vaginal bleeding
Source: Ovarian Cancer Research Fund To see more of the Tulsa World, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.tulsaworld.com. Copyright (c) 2008, Tulsa World, Okla. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
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