Dawn Wilcox
Charleston, IL

Inspiration, strength, and courage have guided my choice to aid in the early detection and prevention of ovarian and breast cancer. In October of 2005 I lost my mother, Pamela J. Wilcox to ovarian cancer after a 3-year struggle with various chemotherapy and de-bulking surgeries. My mother’s positive attitude inspired me not only to take preventative action in my own life but in the life of women everywhere. After the loss of my mother, I asked myself what could I do to prevent other women and myself from ovarian and breast cancer? Finding an early detection test for ovarian cancer was the simple yet complex answer I came up with. But how could one young person accomplish such a large task? With the help of the Lynne Cohen Foundation I knew that my small yet large contribution could an impact on prevention in the future. Only six months after the loss of my mother I created the Pamela J. Wilcox Tribute fund through Lynne Cohen Foundation. I created this fund by organizing a 5k and 1 mile run and walk in Corunna, Michigan.

The 1st annual race raised over $7,000 and the 2nd annual $9,000. Not only were participants very gracious in their donations for a preventative blood test they also became educated on the signs, symptoms, and ways they could decrease their personal risk for ovarian and breast cancer. Over 250 race participants, 20 corporate sponsors, friends, families, community members and myself have worked for the prevention of ovarian cancer. This 5k race in a small community has heightened awareness of ovarian and breast cancer and also taught many people about the importance of listening to your own body. Together we have reduced the risk for ovarian and breast cancer for only a few women but hope that in the future many women will benefit from our work and education.

At more of a personal level, two years ago I made the choice to pursue my longtime passion of nutrition. As I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree during my mother’s initial illness, I decided to return to school to study nutrition and cancer prevention. I enrolled in classes during my mother’s last few months of life and used my passion to guide me in life after the loss of my mother. After receiving my Bachelors of Science, I am currently working on my Master’s of Science in Family and Consumer Sciences in Dietetics. In about one year, I plan to be involved in educating women, men, children, and the elderly on how they can prevent cancer, diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and many other diseases that affect our population everyday. I hope to make a difference in not only the onset of diseases such as cancer but to also improve the quality of life of patients worldwide.

My family, friends, and myself have adopted many nutrition, physical activity, and health prevention habits to help prevent the onset of cancer throughout our lives. Being aware of our risk factors and working to prevent disease will hope to lead us to a happy and prosperous life together. Working to educate others has given us a great sense of worth in the fight against women’s cancers.


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