Pushing Forward
- Jeanette Lee, known as the “Black Widow” for her pool-slaying skills, has been pushing forward since announcing her stage 4 ovarian cancer diagnosis in February.
- Lee just announced an exciting new venture with Lympo, a marketer of NFTs and virtual trading cards. NFTs are non-fungible tokens; Digital assets that represent music, art, games, and videos.
- There have been developments in cancer treatment over recent years with PARP inhibitors, which can help treat ovarian cancer. These drugs help prevent cancer cells from repairing their damaged DNA (genetic material), causing them to die off.
"I intend to bring the same resolve I brought to the billiards table to this fight," Lee said at the time of her devastating announcement.
Read MoreNFTs are non-fungible tokens; Digital assets that represent music, art, games, and videos.
View this post on Instagram
According to the Dallas Business Journal, Lympo, a Lithuanian company, “allows users to earn crypto tokens with real monetary value through walking or running and completing fitness challenges on the app. The tokens can then be used to buy products in the Lympo Shop.” (Entrepreneur Mark Cuban from NBC’s Shark Tank is co-founder of the app.)
Lee also recently made an appearance at Comic-Con in San Diego with her girls.
View this post on Instagram
In May, Lee posted a pic of herself and her girls at Tampa’s Busch Gardens amusement park wearing a big smile while sitting in a wheelchair.
A Pool-Playing Legend
Lee grew up in Brooklyn the daughter of Korean immigrants. At 18, she discovered a dark, smoky pool hall in New York City and was immediately intrigued by the sport.
In less than two years after starting to play pool, she became the number one ranked player in the world. Lee also won the gold medal for the U.S. at the 2001 World Akita Games in Japan.
"Jeanette entered a male-dominated world and made it her own," Lee's longtime manager Tom George recently told SurvivorNet. "The American sports public only has enough room in their collective memory bank for one billiards star a generation … it has been the 'Black Widow' since the '90's and no one has risen to take her place."
View this post on Instagram
Hope for Treating Advanced Stage Ovarian Cancer
There have been some amazing developments in medicine over recent years with PARP inhibitors, which can help treat ovarian cancer. These drugswhich help prevent cancer cells from repairing their damaged DNA (genetic material), causing them to die offwork best in women who have a genetic mutation called BRCA.
Dr. Lynn Parker from Norton Cancer Institute talks to SurvivorNet about the pros and cons in using this drug. "PARP inhibitors are expensive, but there are ways to access those medications." Dr. Parker says. "Like with any medication, they have potential toxicities or side effects. So I think that as a patient being aware of what is possible is important."
Related: What Women Need to Know About PARP Inhibitors
Dr. Parker explains that some women will be able to handle side effects better than other, but says "there are different doses that can be utilized and looking at the timing of when you're using it … if you've just completed chemotherapy, you may be more fatigued or weak than you would [normally] be in a few months." She typically gives patients a lower dose of PARPs for the first few months after chemotherapy and then works them up to a higher dose, but it depends on the patient's individual situation. It is best that women discuss these treatment options with their own doctors.
PARP Inhibitors for Ovarian Cancer Treatment: Weighing Risks and Benefits
How to Manage PARP Inhibitor Side Effects
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
