CHRIS EVERETT AND OVCA

           On Sabbatical Leave at Northwestern

                           Probably 1985

 I doubt if any of you are unaware that Chris Everett, the famous superstar tennis whiz, has been diagnosed with ovarian cancer.  It hasbeen all over the news.   Most women (80% or more) who get such a diagnosis find themselves in Stage 3 or 4, and face an uphill battle to live five more years.  (Linda was Stage 3C, and lived for 3 ½ years.)  This dismal state of affairs arises because OVCA spreads rapidly, is tenacious when once established, and is very hard to detect while in an early stage.

Chris Everett’s diagnosis came about because of a “prophylactic hysterectomy” she voluntarily underwent because her sister had died of OVCA, and a defective BRCA gene was known to exist in the family.  As a result of having detected her cancer at such an early stage (1C), Everett has at least a 90% chance of living to a ripe old age.

There is a moral to this story.  If you have a near relative who suffered from OVCA, for God’s sake get tested for harmful genetic mutations.  Government should provide this service free – but, of course, it doesn’t; write your Congresspersons and complain.  And get tested at your own expense if OVCA is known to exist in your family.