Cobie Smulders, ovarian cancer survivor and actress in Captain America, Spider Man Far from Home, and Avengers Endgame, isn’t letting health care workers go unassisted on her watch.
Originating from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Smulders, 37, knows first hand how critical equipment and resources are when it comes to caring for patients. The Stumptown star posted a link to a GoFundMe campaign dedicated to protecting health care providers at the frontline of Covid-19, and urged fans to donate. The rapid increase of Covid-19 patients have exhausted hospital resources, and equipment such as respirator masks, are in short supply. The campaign, called Frontline Responders Fund, was created by Flexport.org and has already raised nearly $5 million of their $10 million goal.
Read MoreCobie Smulders’ Ovarian Cancer Battle
Smulders was diagnosed with a “borderline” type of ovarian cancer in 2007 at the age of 25, meaning it wasn’t necessarily malignant or benign. Typically, ovarian cancer is predominant in women after menopause, specifically 60-year old women and older. So, Smulder’s diagnosis was a shocking revelation to the former How I Met Your Mother actress, playing the character Robin Scherbatsky. Luckily, ovarian cancer has a 90% survival rate in most cases, and Smulders was declared cancer free in 2018.Related: What's the Best Initial Treatment for Your Ovarian Cancer? That Depends
Smulders’ battle with cancer led her to create Not On My Watch, a movement dedicated to empowering women with ovarian cancer and finding new treatments for those not responding to chemotherapy.
Ovarian Cancer And Chemotherapy
For patients with ovarian cancer, treatment options depend on the provider, according to Dr. Matthew Carlson, a gynecologic oncologist at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.
“The schedule for the chemotherapy is somewhat dependent on the provider,” Dr. Carlson told SurvivorNet. “I traditionally will give the chemotherapy once every three weeks.”
Related: New Research on Treatment for Ovarian Cancer
Initial treatment for ovarian cancer patients is dependent on a number of factors, but often women will undergo surgery and then chemotherapy. Jessica Perreau, a nurse practitioner at Texas Oncology in San Antonio told SurvivorNet that talking with patients about different options is key in deciding the best treatment.
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