Celebrating our OCRA Heroes
Today is National Superheroes Day, and while we realize that many of these “national days” are made up holidays, we can’t let this day go by without acknowledging just a few of the people in our ovarian cancer community who are real life OCRA Heroes.
They may not wear capes or fly through the air (well, one of them did once!) … but every one of the below individuals has done something to help save another person’s life by raising critical funds for ovarian cancer research.
These OCRA Heroes may vary in their tactics, but all draw their superpowers from a place of commitment, compassion, conviction and love.
Click through the below links to read their stories, and perhaps you’ll be inspired to put your superhero powers into action as well.
Andrew Simone raised $4,300 riding his bike from Vancouver, BC to Tijuana, Mexico and plans to set out across the country — navigating unknown roads, pouring rain and blistering heat — in memory of his mother and in pursuit of a cure.
Jaimie Kusher, left, chairs the NYC Ovarian Cycle, and while she wishes it wasn’t too late to help her own mother with the $117,165 she helped raise, she pushes on so that other daughters don’t have to experience the loss that she did.
Jane Rubin created The Mathilda Fund (which has raised over $53,000 for research), named in honor of her paternal great-grandmother, to whom she traced her own ovarian cancer genetic history. And now she’s writing a novel to give Mathilda an identity and a voice.
Jesse Dunn is a songwriter and founding member of an alt country/bluegrass/rock band in Lake Tahoe. When his mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, he wrote a song in her honor. His mother has since passed, but the song ‘Cornerstone’ has evolved, and was recently released to raise money for research.
Lana Holland, left, felt she was going on a sacred journey when her daughter Lexi passed away from ovarian cancer. So she covered her head, much in the same manner that Lexi had when she was going through treatment. Part of her healing has been to create a business that honors Lexi and serves all women with cancer, while raising awareness and critical funds for research.
Morgan Gaynor turned to social media for inspiration and community when she was diagnosed at age 30 with ovarian cancer. And on a whim, she created a Facebook fundraiser to support OCRA. She set a goal to raise $200. She ended up raising $10,000.
Sara Polikov and Shana Stukalsky are co-chairs of Atlanta Ovarian Cycle and have participated for 6 and 12 years respectively. When they realized they couldn’t hold an in-person event, they went virtual and raised nearly $40,000.
Want to know a very easy way to become an OCRA Hero? Create your own Facebook fundraiser for #GivingTuesday, now on May 5th, or World Ovarian Cancer Day on May 8th.
You can also create your own virtual fundraising campaign using our DIY platform. Check out our DIY Fundraiser Guide, or contact Diana Maynard, OCRA’s Director, Events, to learn more.