With heartfelt gratitude, I am thrilled to share that I am now two years post-chemotherapy and continue to qualify for and benefit from Zejula, an oral maintenance chemotherapy drug. The cost of this drug remains around $40,000 per month, thankfully covered by my health insurance. Every day, I am reminded how fortunate I am to have access to this life-extending targeted therapeutic treatment.

Over the past two years, I have undergone four surgeries: the initial major debulking surgery, an ileostomy reversal, cardiac ablations, and a lung resection to remove an early-stage lung cancer. I share this not for sympathy, but to shed light on the complex and enduring nature of cancer. Any of us, at any time, could face a similar diagnosis. Through it all, I have remained optimistic, strong, and healthy in mind and body, and I am hopeful that 2025 will be a year free of surgeries and recurrences, despite the statistics that late-stage ovarian cancer often presents.

As many of you know, ovarian cancer is often called the “Whispering Cancer” because it typically goes undetected until late stages, as it did in my case. Currently, there is no effective screening tool for reproductive cancers, but with continued research, we hope this will change.

Approximately every 5 minutes, a woman in the United States is diagnosed with a gynecologic cancer. This translates to roughly 115,000 women diagnosed annually in the United States and one million worldwide.

Ongoing research and clinical trials, led by the gynecologic oncology specialists at Smilow Cancer Center at Yale New Haven Hospital and institutions worldwide, are critical to developing targeted therapies and early detection methods. While survival rates are improving, the recurrence rate for ovarian cancer remains alarmingly high at around 80%. Distressingly, in 2025, research funding cuts are threatening the progress we so urgently need.

That’s why I am once again raising funds for Discovery to Cure at Yale School of Medicine, Yale’s largest annual fundraiser for women’s reproductive cancer research. The event will take place on Sunday, May 4, 2025, in Orange, Connecticut.

Funds raised will directly support:

- Cutting-edge research into targeted therapies and immunotherapies
- Early detection and prevention programs
- Continued provider education
- Personalized care initiatives

Importantly, these funds help Yale’s gynecologic cancer research labs purchase critical supplies and resources, strengthening their ability to secure larger grants from government, industry, and non-profit organizations. This funding also increases their appeal to pharmaceutical companies and venture capitalists who can sponsor clinical trials, accelerating the path from research breakthroughs to real-world treatments.

Although I won't be able to attend the walk this year, I am passionately committed to raising funds to support this vital work. Your support can truly make a difference.

Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to Team Lisa to help me reach my fundraising goal of $15,000. If your company offers a corporate matching gift, your donation could have an even greater impact.

No donation is too small. Every contribution brings us closer to better outcomes for women battling these devastating cancers.

Through this journey, family and friends' love, support, and generosity have carried me forward.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for standing with me, my family, and everyone impacted by women’s reproductive cancers. I am forever grateful.

With love and gratitude,

Lisa