Reunite and Reignite: Stride and Thrive

In April 2019 I, as an otherwise healthy 59 year old woman and mother with a 30+ year career in academia, was diagnosed with stage IIIC advanced metastatic ovarian cancer. Since then, I have been through multiple rounds of chemo, surgery to repair a fistula between my abdomen and my bowel, and a third surgery, in January 2022, to remove a tumor in my cerebellum, to which cancer cells had metastasized, followed by five rounds of radiation. Onward we go, every day a blessing! As a 'below the belt' cancer survivor, I am deeply indebted to the staff at Johns Hopkins, especially my world-class, compassionate surgeon, Dr. Anna Beavis, and her colleagues in KEGOS (Kelly Gynecologic Oncology Service), and also to Dr. C. Bettegowda, who performed my brain surgery. I am privileged to be able to fundraise for KEGOS and its survivorship program, which pairs patients with mentors, offers many different types of online health programs, and is unrelenting in its focus on wellness. Please join my #willapower team, going strong for the third year!