On April 1, 2025, the Rivkin Center for Ovarian Cancer Research officially joined forces with OCRA to expand education, support and research for the ovarian and gynecologic cancer community. Together, we are carrying forward the Rivkin mission to find a cure, honoring stories like Mary’s and working to ensure others have the chance for earlier diagnosis and treatment.
At the end, Mary told me one of her big wishes was, ‘I would like my story to be shared —maybe, just maybe, it would help some women to get their cancer diagnosed as early as possible.’
This is Kim’s story and how he is honoring his wife Mary’s memory
Kim Buike lost his wife, Mary, to ovarian cancer in 2017. She was just 54 years old. Mary’s diagnosis of stage 3 ovarian cancer came in June 2014, nearly 10 months after she first began experiencing symptoms.
Determined to make a difference, Mary spent the three years she lived with ovarian cancer raising awareness, even as she cycled through periods of remission and recurrence.
Mary Buike, right, with Dr. Saul Rivkin, founder of the Rivkin Center for Ovarian Cancer Research, at the SummeRun
That is the reason we want her story shared. Mary didn’t want others–women and girls–in the future to miss the opportunity for an earlier diagnosis and treatment that she was denied. She felt compelled to share her story. With future patients and the medical community.
Now, Kim is honoring Mary’s wish by supporting efforts to improve early detection, advance preventive research and ultimately find a cure. He recently made a $50,000 gift to Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance—the largest charitable donation he has ever made—to help carry forward the cause they both believed in.
Mary’s wish was for me to keep supporting the Rivkin Center. So that no one had to go through what she went through, so there would be a cure. I know she would be thrilled that we are part of OCRA.
Mary Buike
Mary’s connection to the Rivkin Center ran deep. Based in Seattle for more than 30 years, the Rivkin Center had always been close to home. Decades before her diagnosis, she met Dr. Saul Rivkin while working part-time at Northwest Hospital. She believed in the Center’s bold mission: to find a cure for ovarian cancer within Dr. Rivkin’s lifetime. Kim shares that commitment and sees OCRA as the right partner to continue the work.
Ovarian cancer is not going to cure itself. OCRA has the connections, the influence, the reach, the expertise to make the most out of the dollars that are available.
Mary’s wish for a cure extended far beyond herself. It was for her daughter, her young granddaughter and the countless others she knew would face this disease in the future.
She did not want them to end up like her. Her grandmother died of ovarian cancer. She was especially worried about little Olivia, her granddaughter.
That’s part of the research we need: What other genes are out there that can be identified as indicators of pre-deposition? Could her daughter or granddaughter be tested someday? There are so many avenues of research that will impact thousands.
This research — and the breakthroughs it can make possible — is within reach, thanks to dedicated Rivkin Center supporters like Kim, who now join with OCRA to ensure this vital work continues and grows.
For more than 30 years, the Rivkin Center has been a driving force in ovarian cancer research, funding early-stage grants and convening an internationally recognized research symposium. Now, with OCRA’s expanded national reach, that impact will only grow.
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