On Tuesday, May 26, Linda Laframboise, Osgoode resident and founder of Angels in Action, an Eastern Ontario charity which raises funds in support of ovarian cancer research and treatment, made an exciting announcement.

Laframboise was the keynote speaker at the quarterly Rural Women's Business Network dinner. With the evening sunshine warming the tent at the Metcalfe Country Club, a joyful Laframboise told approximately 50 women that Angels in Action had been given an official "day" by the City of Ottawa. Sunday, June 28 is going to be declared Angels in Action Day by City Hall.

This is the same day and place the Angels are holding their Strawberry Social, which they hope will be a major fundraiser for their cause.

Laframboise began Angels in Action in 2001, after her sister, Fay Bisaillon, passed away from this usually terminal disease. Her vision of raising money to improve ovarian cancer diagnosis and treatment started that spring and now two large events are planned armually. The Angels are dedicated to curing ovarian cancer in Ottawa and the region. Because most cases are diagnosed when they are beyond stage one, a patient's life expectancy is less than five years. Says Laframboise, "It's only a matter of time."

Earlier diagnosis means the cancer can be surgically removed and there is a 90% chance of the patient living longer than five years. These are still grim odds, but realizing the women who are struck by this disease, usually women in the prime of life who are raising families and contributing to households, makes those numbers even more difficult to bear.

Approximately 2500 women in Canada are diagnosed every year. "The numbers are small, but heartbreaking," says Laframboise. "A great many of our volunteers have this disease, and I know I won't have them for long. I work with them for a few months or maybe a couple of years, then they're gone." She goes on to say that she recently attended a friend's funeral and that was

All funds go to the discovery and testing of treatments, improving patient support, raising awareness of symptoms and preventive measures, and honouring those women who have suffered from this tragic disease. Women who have two or more of the symptoms for longer than three weeks should ask their doctors for a bimanual pelvic exam, an ultrasound and a CA-125 blood test.

Like the PSA test, which is part of the diagnosis for prostate cancer in men, the CA-125 test costs $35. But as every woman at the dinner that night agreed, it is $35 well spent. For more information on Angels in Action, to donate fixings for the Strawberry Social, to volunter, or to host a fundraising event, contact Laframboise directly through the website, www.angelsinaction.ca.