Having been previously involved with ovarian cancer advocacy on a legislative side only, I have to admit, I was a bit intrigued by two questions prior to arriving at the conferences. First, could my voice truly offer a different perspective to a scientist-survivor collaboration? After all, I was about to enter a room full of very accomplished physicians and scientists. And second, was it really possible for me to tell such a highly knowledgeable audience anything they didn’t already know about ovarian cancer? Well, looking back at my experiences, the answer to both questions is resounding “Yes”, and I couldn’t have felt more humbled and honored to have had an opportunity to share my story, and to contribute my insights and points of view. I can truthfully say I felt genuinely embraced by the entire scientists-physicians community at both events.

In addition to the incredible privilege of sharing my synchronous cancers journey, I also came away from both conferences with deep sense of purpose, clarity of vision, and unwavering commitment to continue to pursue research advocacy. Meeting, and having an opportunity to learn from and interact with so many physicians and scientists not only enriched my understanding of the GYN cancers space but, also, opened my eyes and exposed me to the frightening vacuum of unmet needs within the ovarian cancer landscape. Something that I intuitively suspected but could not quite articulate prior to attending both conferences in Boston.

All the knowledge, interactions, and education I received truly crystallized and reinforced my most profound beliefs that, in the context of ovarian cancer, and all of its rare tumor types and subtypes, conversations in our society about “Underserved Communities” and “Lack of Access” cannot simply be limited to the issues of demographics. Of course, these are very important conversations to be had and, more importantly, vitally needed actions to be implemented, so that the barriers are as much as possible minimized and, ultimately, eliminated. But that alone would not address the needs of the ovarian cancer patients (and families) whose tumor profiles, at present time, simply do not have any targeted treatment options. And that is, more than anything, what is driving my advocacy passion going forward.  Speaking up and out for Anyone, who doesn’t have a fair chance to succeed, so that Everyone (no matter their tumor profile) would have an equal chance to survive!

In that context, one could make a strong argument that entire ovarian cancer, as a disease, is an “Underserved Community”. And only: (1) firm commitment to continued research, (2) prioritizing increased and thoughtfully targeted funding, and (3) powerfully vocal and skilled advocacy can bring us closer to making this disease survivable for all (urgently needed!) and, hopefully, curable (some day).