Innovators Who Inspire Action | Heroes Highlights

Our gratitude goes out to three OCRA Heroes who channeled their creative energy to champion our shared cause via inventive fundraising initiatives. Entrepreneur Daisy Garcia in California, personal care brand founder Julie Hogan in Florida, and artist Andrew Galdi in Pennsylvania have all been motivated to use their talents to contribute to the ovarian cancer community in a meaningful way. Learn more about their stories and how their distinct visions are spreading awareness about ovarian cancer and garnering support for OCRA’s research, advocacy and patient support programs.

Daisy Garcia

Collaborated on a special collection of NFTs to benefit OCRA

For entrepreneur Daisy Garcia, her motivation to support OCRA’s mission is driven by the desire to do something impactful in memory of a loved one. “I recently lost a childhood friend to ovarian cancer, so this cause has a special meaning for me,” Daisy says. She describes her late friend Alison as the “embodiment of caring,” a trait that seems to run deep in Daisy as well. In fact, Daisy’s fundraising initiative for OCRA is a project that was built upon the idea of empowering women. 

A crypto investor since 2017, Daisy is passionate about educating other women on the potential that new technology holds for them. That initial goal sparked the idea for the NFT collection known as the Pink Ladies. This collection came about as a collaboration between Daisy’s #BossGirls brand and DeltaFlare, a company that focuses on NFTs, P2E gaming and the metaverse. These incredibly creative NFTs, which resemble pink-suited astronauts and represent the fight for equality across the metaverse, sold out in 18 minutes. Half of the revenue from that launch was donated to OCRA, leading to a $35,000 gift — a gesture full of meaning for Daisy. “With this collection, I wanted to tell all my angels they will not be forgotten.”

Get more info about the Pink Ladies.

Julie Hogan

Curated a selection of personal care products to benefit OCRA 

Julie Hogan, founder of Skin Food Fix, is also committed to making a concrete difference for those who have been diagnosed with ovarian cancer—a diagnosis she herself received last year. “I was diagnosed with Stage 4 ovarian cancer during a routine hysterectomy in September 2021,” Julie says. “I refuse to sit around and wait to die. Instead, I work, live my life with my amazing husband and children, and help other women.” It is this desire to be there for others that motivated Julie to support OCRA. “My inspiration to raise funds for OCRA has come from a deep need I have to reach out and help other women going through the ovarian cancer journey.” As the creator of an organic personal care brand, Julie found the perfect way to do so by turning to the very products that she made for herself to help with treatment side effects.

“I am supporting OCRA through the sales of handpicked personal care products I chose just for women going through medical menopause and healing from radical hysterectomies,” Julie says. All the products in this special collection, called Teal Sisters, were formulated by Julie and incorporate organic, nontoxic ingredients. The lineup includes a botanical oil blend formulated to ease the scalp itch caused by chemo-induced hair loss, as well as all-natural products made to soothe dryness and irritation oftentimes caused by menopause. At the heart of it all is Julie’s wish to give back.

Learn more about Skin Food Fix’s Teal Sister collection.

Andrew Galdi

Created ink and watercolor paintings to benefit OCRA

Ever since childhood, Andrew Galdi has been honing his artistic craft—a craft that took on new meaning after his late wife, Kate, was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer in 2013. It was then that he first envisioned the idea of using his talent to further the development of ovarian cancer therapies, a desire that intensified after Kate died from the disease in 2014. “My hope was that someday I could support the treatment of ovarian cancer through sales of my art, and I have been able to fulfill that dream with the help of Arete Gallery,” Andrew says. 

For Andrew, who specializes in Japanese calligraphy and Asian-style ink and watercolor painting, getting into Arete Gallery meant being able to donate a portion of his sale proceeds to the charitable organization of his choice: OCRA.

Located in New Hope, PA, Arete Gallery was founded on the idea of building a better world through art. Andrew’s goal is to do just that by maintaining his support of OCRA’s mission through sales of his work. “It is my hope that as I continue to grow as an artist, so will my funding of OCRA. And I hope that this continued support will help both women and families affected by ovarian cancer.”

View Andrew’s art that was created to benefit OCRA.