Stories of Inspiration

My diagnosis of ovarian cancer was a shock. I was seeking medical intervention for endometriosis, which I had been struggling with since my teens. I met with a doctor at Penn to discuss treatment options. Surgery was the route to remove several cysts and tissue that had built up from my disease, causing me issues with my menstrual cycle and…

30 Days of Thanks: The Heart of Our Community - Survivors and Caregivers Giving Back Today, we want to celebrate the incredible individuals who have faced the tough journey of ovarian cancer. Patients, survivors, and caregivers who have experienced the TEAL community's immense support play a vital role in giving back and making a real difference. We are forever inspired…

My ovarian cancer story starts with my little sister, Karlissa Foster. In October 2008, when Karlissa was 33 years old, she felt a knot in her stomach followed by constipation, bloating, abdominal pain, and vomiting. I took Karlissa to the ER, and the doctor told Karlissa that she had masses on her liver, kidneys, and ovaries, and it looks to…

The Team, The Silver Linings, was started by Debra Schwartz Sapcariu in 2015 after she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Debra felt that whatever happened in her life, there was always a positive – a silver lining to be found! Debra had younger twin brothers, Jeff and Barry Schwartz and when she was diagnosed, they helped her and her daughter…

My story begins with a cardiologist appointment in March 2014 because I had chest pains. While there, they did an electrocardiogram (EKG), and the doctor also performed a physical exam. As she did the examination, she felt around my abdomen. She then asked, "how long have you had this lump in your stomach?" I answered, " I didn't know I…

While the world was navigating Covid and its fallout, my family and I were battling my diagnosis of Stage 2 ovarian cancer. I underwent chemotherapy beginning in October 2020 and ending in February 2021. It was a profound learning experience- multiple surgeries, side effects, and lots of uncertainty. Like many, my family health history did not include ovarian cancer –…

"Now, looking back to my ovarian cancer diagnosis, I realize my experience should be what is considered the 'standard of care' and not the exception. My doctors listened to me and didn't "write me off," as I know can happen. Once it was determined I most likely had a serious situation on my hands, I was taken into surgery quickly.…

When I was 20 years old, I thought I was invincible and unstoppable, and dare I say, a bit oblivious to the hardships that can happen throughout life. But all those thoughts and feelings changed after a trip to the emergency room for pain in my right lower abdomen that I had been experiencing. The pain would be what was…

“I don’t think anyone is prepared for the call when it happens. I can still hear my call as clearly as day. “I’ve been trying to figure out all morning how to tell you this… you have ovarian cancer; it’s aggressive; we need to get you to an oncologist quickly.” I was just 36 years old.  I was a healthy,…

Cancer is not pretty.  It is a devastating diagnosis for the patient, as well as the whole family.   True, the patient is the one who bears the brunt of the disease – but the family must stand by and watch their loved one endure the ravages of the disease.   In November 2015, my mother, Betty Walter, was diagnosed…