Stories of Inspiration

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,…

Hi, we are Amy and Nicole - BRCA Sisters. We have been best friends for years with an extremely close bond, we believe there is something extraordinary that we are now bound together by being BRCA gene carriers. To have someone by your side throughout this testing time is literally gold to both of us and we couldn't have asked…

After suffering from severe bloating, bowel issues, frequent urination, and a few other symptoms I started consulting the doctors. I was going to the doctor for what I thought were digestive issues. My doctor told me it was gas. I saw another doctor. After feeling my belly which has a hard spot, I was referred to a gastroenterologist. I knew…

I was a normal healthy 41-year-old wife and mother of 2 girls when I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. I started having lower abdominal pain in December of 2010, which led to the removal of a cyst on my ovary. I felt so positive that it was not cancer. When the doctor called with the pathology results it was just…

In 2012 I was diagnosed with stage 3C clear cell ovarian cancer. My life had been going smoothly and I was 1 year from retirement, ready to travel, and do more of the things I loved when bam! my life changed so quickly. My doctors weren't very positive about my prognosis and the news wasn't encouraging. One doctor even told…