I have been trying to write this for a while, but the morphine and lack of juicy cheeseburgers (what has it been now, five weeks without real food?) have drained my energy and interfered with whatever prose prowess remains. Additionally, … Read more
By: Susan Gubar
“No thanks, I already have cancer,” I said to the radiologist. Since the magnified images of calcifications in my right breast looked neither obviously benign nor obviously malignant, he had just recommended a biopsy. Even after I … Read more
Jennifer Callaway thought her dream of becoming a mother was gone when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at 27. She had her right ovary removed and went through six rounds of chemotherapy.
“In my heart of hearts, I was … Read more
By: Susan Gubar
Inside our new condo, the internet connection had failed. Two young men, sent by the cable company, had spent hours burying a cable to replace an antiquated line running into the building. As soon as they drove … Read more
By: Helen Palmquist
In May 1987 when I was 41, I suddenly noticed my abdomen was getting large. I phoned my brother, an obstetrician and gynecologist, long distance to tell him I looked four or five months pregnant. He told … Read more
By: Annette McElhiney
Only a night from old to new!
Only a night, and so much wrought!
The Old Year’s heart all weary grew,
But said: The New Year rest has brought.”
The Old Year’s hopes its heart laid down,… Read more
Three weeks before her wedding day, Cheyann Shaw uploaded a video to YouTube, a space the fitness fanatic regularly filled with workout clips and health tips. But this time was different: She was now using the social video platform for … Read more
By: Annette McElhiney
As an amateur artist who paints to heal, I see the various stages I’ve been through in my ovarian cancer journey hanging on the walls surrounding me. Some paintings are full of joy as when I first … Read more
A 14-year-old cancer survivor was cast in her dream role this holiday season only a year after the disease had dashed her hopes to perform as Clara in the Christmas classic The Nutcracker. Caitlyn Feddock, who will perform the role … Read more
In 1978 after graduating with a Ph.D in English and American Literature, I began looking for an academic teaching position in a college or university. I acquired a tenure track position as an assistant professor of English and women’s studies … Read more
In 1997 I was 27, happy, free, and traveling the world as a flight attendant. Newly married and ready to have a baby, I felt strong and invincible. My future was unfolding just as I expected it to. Until the … Read more
In the crucible of cancer treatment, the bonding of patients with physicians often makes the unendurable endurable. The difficulty of finding and then keeping the right oncologist can therefore be fraught. Yet this problem, not uncommon today, is on track … Read more
Cobie Smulders is encouraging young women everywhere to be proactive about their health by sharing her own story. The “How I Met Your Mother” actress talked about her experience with ovarian cancer in an emotional essay for Lenny Letter earlier … Read more
Annually, Support Connection, a a not-for-profit organization that provides emotional, social and educational support to women, their families and friends affected by breast and ovarian cancer, hosts a webinar/teleconference.
In September 2015, our founder Dr. Laura Shawver hosted a webinar … Read more
On November 8th in Colorado, we will be voting on Proposition 106: Colorado End-of-Life Options Act, which is an act that allows individuals with a terminal illness to request from their physician and self-administer medical aid-in-dying medication. Needless to say, … Read more
By: Sherry Pollex
When talking about my cancer diagnosis, I’d say there are two parts to my story: The first part, when I fought for answers, and the second part, when I took control of finding them for myself.
Two … Read more
By: Annette McElhiney
Sometimes pictures are worth a thousand words. I know that painting how I felt was a very healing experience for me. When I was first diagnosed, I could not always tell people how I felt or what … Read more
By: Annette McElhiney
The word ‘community’ means something different to everyone! When I was growing up in rural Missouri, community referred to our neighbors on nearby farms; whenever a farmer became ill or died, pitched in to plant, till, or … Read more
September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. To celebrate, we hosted an “Ask the Expert” conversation in our ovarian cancer community. We invited Deb Zajchowski, Ph.D. to join us for a very informative and very collaborate discussion about ovarian cancer recurrence, … Read more
By: Annette McElhiney
Each of us wears a pair of glasses through the prism of which all things are viewed and interpreted. Having been diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer in 2008, my glasses are forever skewed by that particular experience.… Read more
Starting
January 1, 2025,
Clearity is joining
Ovarian Cancer
Research Alliance
(OCRA) and this website
will be redirected to
www.ocrahope.org
OCRA and Clearity are committed to serving the ovarian cancer community and providing the education, information, and support people need.
