Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month

Various parts of the region – including the Los Angeles City Hall façade and the pylons at LAX – will soon be awash in teal light in honor of Ovarian Cancer Awareness month.  The West Hollywood City Hall will also be lit up, and teal colored lanterns will be displayed above Santa Monica Boulevard. Teal is the nationally recognized color of Ovarian Cancer Awareness.

This is the fifth year in a row that Los Angeles City Hall will shine teal colored lights on to its façade for Ovarian Cancer Awareness, starting sunset September 29th. And the iconic LAX pylons will also light up teal on that evening.

For the fourth year in a row, Los Angeles City Councilmembers Paul Koretz (CD5), Council President Nury Martinez (CD6) and Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez (CD7) will recognize Ovarian Cancer Awareness in City Council announcements but due to COVID there will be no in-person presentation this year.

The City of West Hollywood adopted a Resolution in recognition of Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month and its City Hall is already glowing in teal, from September 24, 2021 through September 30, 2021. The teal lanterns are displayed above Santa Monica Boulevard between N. Robertson Boulevard and Hancock Avenue.

The illumination of City Hall, the LAX pylons and the West Hollywood City Hall is inspired by the work of grassroots non-profit organization The Ovarian Cancer Circle/Inspired by Robin Babbini (co-founded by her mother Paulinda Schimmel Babbini), UCLA gynecologic oncologist Dr. Sanaz Memarzadeh, and ovarian cancer survivors.

It is The Circle’s intention to educate the public about the disease, highlighting the often missed, silent symptoms of the disease, and the importance of being your own health care advocate.

Ovarian Cancer is one of the deadliest gynecologic cancers, with a 50% mortality rate. More than 22,000 women are diagnosed each year. And for those who fight it successfully, there is still a 50 %t chance of recurrence. Ovarian Cancer can happen to any woman of any age. Women should know that while annual pap tests determine cervical cancer, they do not detect ovarian cancer. In fact, there is no early detection test for the disease other than a CA125 (which measures for cancer antigen 125 protein), which is not always accurate. Therefore, ovarian cancer usually gets diagnosed in the later stages of the disease, which is partly why it has such a high mortality rate.

The Ovarian Cancer Circle/Inspired by Robin Babbini was founded by Paulinda Schimmel Babbini. Her daughter, Robin, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer when she was still in high school. Despite grueling treatments and surgeries, Robin died when she was only 20 years old.

“There must not be any more Robin stories,” asserts Paulinda.

The Circle, its board and its volunteers are dedicated year-round to networking at local, regional and national gatherings, educating women of all ages about the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer. Moreover, The Circle raises money that supports medical research being conducted at the esteemed G.O. Discovery Lab, headed by Dr. Sanaz Mermerzdeh, based on the UCLA campus.

For more information, see www.theovariancancercircle.org