You can call him Panda. Tamborine Panda. Tamborine Panda is the gamer tag John Donzelli created back when he was in college and the first X Box system came out. He had no idea how to go about choosing a name but wanted something “nifty” and memorable. “My brother said, ‘pick the first two words … Continued
“What do I want my legacy to be? How do I want to be remembered? What do I want to leave behind?” These are not the typical questions a marathon-running man in his early 30’s might ponder. Yet for Jonathan Sockolosky, this is what turned over and over in his mind following the death of … Continued
Janice Murphy is a woman with many passions: sharing her love of the Great American Songbook, living life to the fullest — and making sure healthcare providers know that ovarian cancer may pose a greater risk for older lesbian women. Janice was 62 years old and newly married to a woman she had been committed … Continued
Most people who dedicate their lives to raising awareness about ovarian cancer, or who dedicate a gift-giving occasion to raise funds for research, have a personal connection to the disease. But for Maite Monardes-Gonzalez, a 15-year-old in Santiago, Chile, that inspiration came from the movies. Ever since she was three, Maite knew she had an … Continued
Imagine, if you will, a scene from yesteryear: rows of telephone operators sitting in front of giant switchboards, lights blinking on and off in seemingly random patterns, hands working quickly to plug and unplug wires in order to foster connections. If you can picture that, you can begin to get a sense of the impact … Continued
Dr. Xueyang Yu, of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is a 2021 recipient of OCRA’s Ann and Sol Mentored Investigator Award. Her project, “Macrophage Control of the Microenvironment Drives HGSOC Progression,” explores how tumor microenvironments influence disease progression for high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma, the most common type of ovarian cancer. What initially sparked your interest in … Continued
I never say, ‘I have cancer,’ because it’s not mine. I’m dealing with it. Elle Simone In the same way that a complex dish is made up of distinct ingredients that blend together and bring out new flavors, Elle Simone’s life resembles something that could only come out of a Michelin-rated restaurant. Elle is really … Continued
For someone who has spent four decades blazing trails in ovarian cancer research and women’s healthcare, it might seem odd that the one word to sum up Dr. Jonathan Berek’s wide range of experiences and contributions would be ‘communication.’ But the conveying of information in empathetic, successful, understandable and compelling ways has been at the … Continued
“I’ve got to work on my elevator pitch.” Sarah Belzer is the president of Coconu, a personal care brand based in Salt Lake City, and she’ll be the first to laugh at the fact that she’s “in the lube business.” Sarah remembers going to a networking event with other women entrepreneurs and being incredibly nervous to … Continued
Andrew Berger sure knows how to throw a birthday party. And yet, birthdays were never a big deal for Andrew. He always saw it as just an excuse to gather his friends together in celebration. But when his mother passed away from ovarian cancer in February 2017, and three months later he was turning 28, … Continued
“Don’t settle” This simple two-word mantra is what guides Roxanne Bright – self-proclaimed dog mom, crafter, and 9-year ovarian cancer survivor from West Virginia who is on a mission to use her voice for good. “Once you’ve heard the word ‘cancer’ tied to your name, you don’t want to settle for anything less than a … Continued
Noel Rademacher, a 44-year-old mother of two and ovarian cancer survivor in Spokane, WA, began wearing a mask at the end of February. She didn’t care what people thought. She just knew it was the decent thing to do. Her husband Thomas is an anesthesiologist, responsible for intubating and extubating patients, and so she knew … Continued
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