Guest writer: Julie
In the Fall of 2020, amidst the height of the global pandemic, I was diagnosed with Stage 3 high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC), joining the 70% of ovarian cancer patients diagnosed with this disease. Like many women, I struggled to get answers from my healthcare team. I was desperate to know: How would my ovarian cancer progress? How would I cope? What supports would I need? Without answers I was anxious and uncertain.
It wasn’t until I connected with Ovarian Cancer Canada, seven months after my first surgery, that everything changed.
HOPE THROUGH ACTION
After 35 years of experiencing the complex and political dynamics of the day-to-day world in my career, I was blown away to see the unbelievable culture of collegial interaction both within Ovarian Cancer Canada and throughout the ovarian cancer research community. This gave me hope.
This sense of hope fueled my desire to get involved. I joined Ovarian Cancer Canada’s innovative Patient Partners in Research program, where patients contribute their lived experience to guide research. In this role, I’ve seen how Ovarian Cancer Canada strategically uses limited resources to maximize the return of its research investments thereby generating momentum towards some real, tangible progress for patients like me.
Donate today and your donation will be matched to have twice the impact on ovarian cancer research.
Your gift will be doubled up to $25,000 until 11:59pm on December 31, 2024.
THE POWER OF PROGRESS
For some women with ovarian cancer, especially those with BRCA gene mutations, there have been remarkable advances. PARP inhibitors, a new class of treatments, are giving them long overdue good news. But for women like me – the 80% of women with high-grade serous ovarian cancer and no BRCA gene mutation – we’re still waiting. I’m determined to change this.
I want to ensure that all patients, regardless of their genetic profile, have access to innovative life-prolonging treatments. And I believe we can make that happen through smart, targeted research.
INVESTING IN TOMORROW'S BREAKTHROUGHS
What excites me about supporting Ovarian Cancer Canada is the speed at which progress is starting to happen. In just two years, I’ve seen research shift from exploratory ideas to more precise studies and clinical trials that are bringing us closer and closer to breakthroughs.
This is a pivotal time in ovarian cancer research. I am confident that the hard-earned savings that I have donated will achieve the maximum benefit for patients. With each donation, we get closer to understanding this complex disease and uncovering new treatment options.
TOGETHER, WE CAN CHANGE THE FUTURE
The survival rates for ovarian cancer have not changed since my paternal aunt, Margaret, died of it nearly fifty years ago, at just 49 years old. Left behind were her six children, including my four female cousins, who have worried their whole lives about inheriting the disease. So, it’s ironic, that I, who had never worried about ovarian cancer, ended up diagnosed with it. My father will have lost his only sister and his only daughter to this terrible disease.
"I am determined to change this narrative for future generations..."
But I am determined to change this narrative for future generations of my family – and for the thousands of others like mine. When you donate to Ovarian Cancer Canada, I will match your gift – dollar for dollar. This means your donation will go twice as far in supporting research that will save lives and continue to offer hope to women like me. Together, we can deliver real change.
Your gift will be doubled up to $25,000 until 11:59pm on December 31, 2024. Donate now and make twice the impact.