Meet She-Rah, The Ovarian Cancer Superhero!
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- This week WCCO is spotlighting MOCA -- the Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance -- as part of our Trees of Hope campaign.
Ovarian cancer occurs in one in 71 women. Fifty-six percent of women die within five years. But it's not a cancer people know much about.
On the Nicollet Mall, Sara Langworthy stands dressed in teal, a superhero headdress, outfit and boots. She's stopping people and handing out symptom cards.
"I'm raising awareness of ovarian cancer signs and symptoms, share it with someone you love," Langworthy said.
The next time you're hustling about and someone hands you something, you may want to take it. This skyway solicitor, like most superheroes, is trying to save a life. She calls herself She-Rah, Princess of Power.
And it's all because her life is in jeopardy.
"They found a mass and that was two days before Jim and I were getting married," Langworthy said.
A few days after becoming a newlywed, she took on another title: ovarian cancer patient.
"No, I didn't know anything about it," she said.
And she has a feeling the people in the skyway don't either. That's why she wants people to read the symptoms, because they are so very hard to detect.
"I've been working in costuming for years and years and years, and so I made myself a She-Rah costume which made me giggle," Langworthy said.
She joined forces with MOCA, her new sisterhood.
"It was very hopeful and very moving to be around so many people … who are walking through life like this," she said.
So the Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance made She-Rah their unofficial mascot. You may see her one day, and she may hand you something.
The approach doesn't always work, but it mostly does. One woman even handed her a rose in return for a symptom card.
She's finished her third round of treatment. This is a good day, but her type is incurable. But this isn't about her. After all, heroes are never out for themselves.
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Here are the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer:
• Bloating
• Pelvic or abdominal pain
• Difficulty eating
• Feeling full quickly
• Urinary symptoms (urgency or frequency)
Click here for information on ovarian cancer.
Click here for information about donating to MOCA.