Ovarian Cancer Fundraiser
Leave it to Hollywood to come up with a very entertaining way to bring attention to a very serious cause. The Early Show beauty and wellness contributor Dayle Haddon helped develop "Super Saturday L.A.," an event held earlier this month to raise awareness and money to fight ovarian cancer.
Studies indicate that our contribution to others may increase the quality and longevity of our life. In fact, science points toward women living longer through their ties to community and the support system that they build through their connections to others.
Funded by the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (OCRF), "Super Saturday L.A." was a family experience complete with a kids' carnival, games, arts and crafts, food and entertainment.
Tracy Ullman hosted a special auction and stars like Meg Ryan, Julianne Moore and Rob Lowe participated in raising money through a designer "garage sale." Designers included Kenneth Cole, Jill Stuart, Joseph Abboud, Fred Segal Flair, Donna Karan, BCBG, Betsey Johnson and Diane von Furstenberg.
During the event, the famous "New York Street" on the Paramount lot looked like one big garage sale.
But these weren't your average attic throw-aways. This is high-end designer merchandise, with all the proceeds earmarked for the fight against ovarian cancer.
Getting The Word Out
Among items up for auction at the "Super Saturday" event was a purple Indian motorcycle, which host Tracey Ullman used to make a very stylish entrance. She pointed out why ovarian cancer needs more attention. ©MMII CBS Worldwide Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed
"You know, breast cancer has such awareness, and there are tests for detecting breast cancer. Unfortunately there isn't yet, with ovarian cancer," Ullman says.
Other stars in attendance agree. "if you look at the statistics, it's really scary. I mean, one in fifty-five women will have ovarian cancer, and like, of all the women diagnosed, half of them will not survive," says supermodel Claudia Schiffer.
"This is a fight for men as well … because in every man's life is a woman he loves," says actor Peter Boyle. "I believe if I keep giving back, I keep getting more. It's kind of selfish it sounds like, but it's true. The more you give, the more you get."
"I think at the end of the day, we're all one, and I think men can help women, women can help men, and we all end up helping out each other," agrees actor Christian Slater, who also happens to be Haddon's son in law.
"Super Saturday L.A." was truly a family affair, not only because families brought the kids, but because it brought out the kid in the adults who attended. Games and other fun activities were mixed with educational efforts at the fundraiser.
"It makes me feel good to feel like I'm learning something, I'm helping other people learn. I'm opening someone's mind, to go, oh, wow, I didn't know this. And now I cado something about it," says model and actress Milla Jovovich.
Raising awareness is truly the first step to taking action, says Haddon, and education is a vital part of that.
The statistics on ovarian cancer truly are a cause for concern--an estimated 25,000 women in the US were diagnosed in 1999, and about 14,500 women will die from the disease.
So what can women do to help themselves?
Haddon says you can ask your doctor to do a special blood test or an ultrasound for ovarian cancer. The good news is that early detection can lead to a 95% survival rate.
Also, she says, this is a good time to ask yourself or the company you work for how you can contribute to a cause that means something to you.
The Ovarian Cancer Research Fund was founded in 1994 by Sol Schreiber, in memory of his wife Ann. Liz Tilberis, the late editor-in-chief of Harper's Bazaar ran the organization from 1997 until her death in 1999.