Ovarian Cancer Research Fund: Giving Hope to Women with Ovarian Cancer
The Ovarian Cancer Research Fund was founded in 1994 originally as the Ann Schreiber Ovarian Cancer Research Fund in memory of Ann Schreiber who lost her battle with ovarian cancer that same year. Schreiber was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer of the ovaries in 1989 and she fought her disease valiantly as she did not let her cancer affect her daily life. When things turned for the worst, however, she stayed in the hospital for long periods of time and that’s where her husband Sol met other patients and their families and realized just how little people know about the disease. Ann and Sol wanted to change that and with the help of Ann’s doctor and several close friends, Sol founded OCRF three months after his wife’s death.
The OCRF is a non-profit organization that provides grants to research and medical professionals who are trying to understand ovarian cancer better in order to find more effective ways to prevent, treat, and possibly even cure the disease. In 2012, the foundation also launched a project called Woman to Woman where ovarian cancer patients at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York are paired with survivors who have already undergone the same treatment they’re going through to provide much needed support and encouragement.