By Dave Schafer

The diarrhea and bloating started when Ginny Peterson arrived at the University of Connecticut to work on her doctorate.

The 22-year-old chalked up the discomfort to her new surroundings, nerves, not eating healthily and drinking unfamiliar water.

But it wasn’t just internal symptoms. Her stomach was growing noticeably larger.

Within two weeks, she was having trouble breathing and could no longer zip up her largest pair of jeans.

“I looked like I was about 12 months pregnant with triplets,” said Peterson, who’s now married to Human Resources’ Mack Eisenberg and uses his surname.

She went to the school clinic. After they took X-rays, they sent her to the hospital. Two days later, Sept. 21, in her hometown of Erie, Pa., doctors removed both of Peterson’s cancer-ridden ovaries and her fallopian tubes.

Doctors told Peterson’s parents that even with surgery and follow-up treatment, she’d only live two years at the most.

That was 1974.

Not catching on
The American Cancer Society estimates 22,500 American women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2005, while about 16,210 will die from the disease this year.

A woman’s chance of getting ovarian cancer is about 1 in 58.

Older women are at the highest risk. Fifty-six percent of women diagnosed with ovarian cancer are older than 65.

Peterson was an exception. She was also lucky.

Continued
1 l 2 l 3 l next >>

Ginny Peterson, here in a hot air balloon, learned at an early age just how precious life is after she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at 22. Now, she says, she appreciates every day.