Stories of Inspiration

My story begins in March 2019 when my gynecologist noticed that my uterus felt enlarged during my annual exam. She ordered a transvaginal ultrasound, which detected a 9cm mass in my left ovary. My bloodwork looked stable and my ca- 125 tumor marker was within the normal range, so we were optimistic the mass was benign. But during this time…

My first symptom — abdominal pain — started eight months before my diagnosis. Because I had been healthy my entire life, and because the pain came and went through the months and wasn't consistent, I didn't think it was serious. Twice I thought it might be a urinary tract infection: I saw a same-day physician assistant the first time and…

Starting in July 2011, I started experiencing strange health issues mainly stemming from an eye disease that causes blindness, which is typically a result of an autoimmune disease. This led to getting poked and prodded over my whole body, blood and urine labs done weekly, full-body scans (MRIs, CAT scans, PET scans), and even getting examined by the best doctors…

I was first diagnosed with Granulosa Cell Tumor (GCT) ovarian cancer in 2010. I discovered the tumor when I was training for my first half marathon. I noticed that I had a hard bulge near my waistline that just simply shouldn't be there. To be honest, I was quite distracted at the time. Nine months prior I had started a new…

Finding out that my mom may have ovarian cancer, didn't hit me as I thought it would. Explaining to my mom (a nurse) and my family what the next steps might be, has been my job for the last 4 years as a medical oncology nurse. It wasn't until the night after the doctor reviewed my mom's CT scan that…

Being told that I have ovarian cancer was the last thing that I expected to hear on May 13, 2020. In December of 2019 I was living it up in Las Vegas for my 30th Birthday and the following February I started to notice bloating in my abdomen. After the bloating went away for a short period of time, I…

November is National Family Caregivers Month and Michael Estreicher of New Jersey took on the role of caregiver for his wife Jess when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Michael is also part of NOCC TEAM TEAL and was set to run in this November's TCS New York City Marathon. "Jess had surgery at Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York…

As an avid sailor and lover of all things nautical, Kathy Heck alongside her husband Eric has learned that living with a diagnosis of ovarian cancer is much like being a sailor, calm seas are sometimes met with rough seas, and adjusting one's sails is needed to stay afloat. "I'm pleased to say I just celebrating my 6th plus year…

It felt like I had pulled a muscle in my stomach, well that's what we thought it was. I couldn't think of when I had pulled it through, someone suggested I sneezed hard, we went with that. All week the pain was there but I worked around it. It was a busy week so I just pressed on and figured…

For the past 12 years, I have been battling ovarian cancer Stage 3C, a disease that, for me, has become chronic. Since then, I have had 5 recurrences, several bowel obstructions for a total of 5 major surgeries. The longest NED time I have had was from the summer of 2012 until March 2015. I have been on numerous chemotherapies,…